


Ghosts From the Past

by Morelia



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Forbidden Love, Force Bond (Star Wars), Hondo ships it, Hurt Obi-Wan Kenobi, Light Angst, Mandalorian, Mandalorian Culture, My First Smut, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, ObiTine Week, Obitine, Protective Satine Kryze, Secret Identity, Secret Relationship, Smut, Space Pirates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:48:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 30,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24905587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morelia/pseuds/Morelia
Summary: Years ago, after a brutal civil war on Mandalore, the young Duchess, Satine Kryze was forced to abandon her pacifist ways and was raised as a Mandalorian and member of Death Watch along with her sister, Bo Katan. With the fall of Pre Vizsla, Satine goes on the lam to escape Darth Maul’s growing crime syndicate. Fortune soon smiles on Satine as she crosses paths with a Pirate, who offers her a way out. It is only inevitable that Satine also crosses paths with his legendary Jedi friend and her old forbidden flame, Obi-wan Kenobi.
Relationships: Bo-Katan Kryze & Satine Kryze, CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Hondo Ohnaka, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Hondo Ohnaka/Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze
Comments: 35
Kudos: 115





	1. The Pirate

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate universe. I recommend having watched The Clone Wars to avoid a few spoilers, but after the prologue, things diverge from canon arcs and only loosely follow major events.  
> It felt right to use some Mando'a in the prologue. There are translations at the end of this chapter.

Prologue: The Fall of Pre Vizsla

“Like you said, only the strongest shall rule.”

The darksaber activated with an agitated hum as it landed in the victor’s outstretched hand. Maul lifted the crackling blade high above his head and swung down, ending Pre Vizsla’s life and his reign over Death Watch. Satine and her sister watched in shock as his head tumbled down the steps from the dais, not quite understanding or wanting to believe that their fearless leader had been defeated.

Only a small group of loyal Mandalorians fled with them amongst the following hail of bullets and explosions. As they landed on a discrete platform deep in the under-city to regroup, Satine managed to regain her resolve. She felt a rare stab of anxiety when Bo removed her helmet to look her in the eyes, but she respectfully removed her helmet in return, dreading the conversation to follow.

“Satine, you have to leave.”

“I know. We can find a place to lay low while we rearm to take down that horned menace. We still have ties with the old clans down south…”

Bo placed a hand on Satine’s gauntlet,

“No, _ori’vod_. You need to escape from Mandalore before it’s too late. And you need to go alone.”

Satine simply stared at the tears welling up in Bo’s eyes as she found the truth in her sister’s words. She grasped onto Bo’s forearm as she let her continue,

“It’s only a matter of time before they realize you were the closest thing Vizsla had to an heir. They will come for you.”

“I…” Satine bowed her head, squeezing her eyes shut against her own forming tears, “You are right. Without me, they might not perceive our scattered _Mando’ade_ as the main threat against them…for now at least. The priority is to go into hiding and preserve what is left of our clan.”

The remaining loyal Mandalorians finished landing on the platform, they backed into a circle around the two sisters, standing vigilant guard while waiting for instruction. Satine and Bo donned their helmets and Satine took a slow calming breath, leaning forward and touching their armored foreheads together in a traditional Keldabe kiss of farewell. She added softly between them,

“Watch over Korkie for me. I will send word when I am somewhere safe. _Ret’urcye mhi_.”

Satine took a step away from her sister, who nodded solemnly in response. Addressing the others, she raised her voice to echo across the platform,

“ _Vode_ , today we go underground. Not to hide, but to grow stronger while we wait in the shadows. When the time is right, we will rise, avenge Pre Vizsla, and regain our honor. _Mando’ad draar digu_.”

Bo stepped up next to Satine and added,

“This is the way.” The response was unified; “This is the way.”

Satine’s jetpack rumbled to life. Rising from the platform, she hailed what remained of her clan with a salute and flew off alone into the heart of the capital.

* * *

Chapter 1: Wait, He's a Pirate? 

Cantina music pulsed enthusiastically as a backdrop to the boisterous voices and noises of the assembled life forms stuffed at and around the bar. Satine idly wondered if she were the only one even paying the band any attention. Regardless, after chasing local bounties for a few months, she was tiring of the constantly overwhelming sounds of the cantina rabble. It was time to move on from this dust ball of a planet and find a new place to lay low. She rose from her booth in the back and slipped outside.

The twin suns of Tatooine greeted her, twinkling through a gusting barrage of sand, and not for the first time, she thanked the stars her armor was sealed off from the elements. Satine could stand being exposed to a plethora of elements, but she had always hated sand.

Satine trudged through the dying sandstorm to the spaceport. As she walked into the port, some cleaner droids rolled up to her chittering in disapproval at the sand streaming from every surface of her beskar and flight suit. They followed eagerly, sucking up the trail Satine was leaving behind with each step. She ignored her rolling entourage and the stares of the locals and off-worlders sheltering from the storm and marched back to the dock her ship was occupying.

Satine allowed herself a small sigh of relief to see The Sparrow’s Wing was still right where she had left it. She was still amused by the number of aspiring thieves who had attempted stealing it, only to get cut down by her light freighter’s modified defenses. Satine circled her ship, solemnly cataloging each new scrape and ding as the result of those attempts. As she reached up to brush some of the carbon scoring from one of the deeper gashes in the hull, her holo-pad began chirping.

Grumbling and cursing under her breath, Satine lowered the cargo ramp and trudged aboard wondering who had managed to get ahold of her secured channel. The ramp clanked shut behind her and she answered the persistent caller. A bright hologram flickered to life in the palm of her hand and Satine stared at the slender figure incredulously.

“Aurra? Why am I not surprised? It’s been a long time.”

Aurra Sing chuckled, waving a long-fingered hand dismissively,

“Yea I guess it has been a while. But then I heard you were on the run. I was even more surprised to find out you were hiding out on Tatooine. For you to be forced there, it had to at least be your fourth…no…fifth planet?”

Satine shifted the hologram from her holo-pad to the larger holo-table sitting in the middle of the main hold. She slid into a nearby chair and tilted her head before sighing, of course word had gotten out about Mandalore and her situation.

“Tatooine is my fifth planet since leaving home.”

“Fancy that. Well, I have a job for you on a discrete backwater planet if you want it. It’s actually a favor for an old partner of mine.”

“By ‘partner,’ you really mean an old lover?”

“That is one way to put it. He was good to me, but he couldn’t handle me either.”

Satine smiled sadly under her helmet, but Aurra picked up on her mood when Satine countered half-heartedly,

“Of course he couldn’t”

“Hey, cheer up. This should pay well…unless Hondo stopped being a greedy little pirate…or his brainless crew somehow managed to pull off a mutiny…or,” she shrugged emphatically, “he got himself killed, but I would have heard about that…he is ridiculously difficult to kill”

Satine sat up suddenly,

“Wait, he’s a pirate?”

“Problem?”

“…No…”

Aurra cut her off knowing she had Satine right where she wanted her,

“Either way, it’s something to keep you moving. He keeps his crew holed up on Florrum. Says one of his men is working behind his back, tipping off a rival gang on the jobs they’re about to pull. So, they clean up before Hondo can even show. He doesn’t think his men can keep a rational view, so it can’t be an internal job.” Aurra’s smirk was vibrant in the holo. “I told him I have the perfect hunter for the job. Now don’t say I never did anything for you. I’m sending over the coordinates now. Make sure you tell him I sent you. Go, have fun, and blast someone for me.”

Satine opened her mouth, somewhat speechless and almost too tired to argue, but Aurra cut in again, “Oh, and don’t be afraid to show Hondo a good time.” She winked and cut the transmission leaving Satine shaking her head with a sigh.

Considering all the meager options she had available to her, Satine still felt drawn to this pirate. Taking this job just felt right to her, as natural as wearing her beskar. She suppressed a shiver at the implications. That’s when something hurtled out of the corridor and rammed solidly into her boot. Satine smiled down at the mouse droid, now speeding around her in tight circles while greeting her with his happy high-pitched warbling.

“Hey, Esso. Thanks for watching the ship. What do you think about this Florrum job? I know you were listening.”

MSE-550 twittered his reply as Satine removed her helmet, placing it on the table in front of her. She stood up and started unloading her gear into the weapons locker, beaming down at her droid despite herself. He had started rolling back and forth excitedly in his fidgety way.

“You’re right, Esso. I don’t really have much of a choice, but something feels…right about this job. Still, watch it turn into another wild bantha chase.”

Esso’s warbles trailed off and he scooted away to run more diagnostics around the ship. Calm washed over Satine as she walked into the cockpit and slid into the pilot’s chair. She went through the familiar pre-flight motions and powered up The Sparrow with a reassuring hum. The spaceport fell away as Satine guided her ship up into the orange atmosphere and out into the cold vacuum of space. Humming softly to herself, she plugged in the coordinates provided by Aurra and slid the hyperspace lever forward, letting the familiar glow and tug of hyperspace surround her ship.

While admiring the swirling maelstrom outside the cockpit, Satine formulated her plan. She dumped most of her excess fuel so she could barter for more as her ticket to land at the pirate stronghold. Satine checked the ship’s computer again to verify her arrival time to Florrum. There was more than enough time for her to wash off that blasted sand, or at least the memory of it.

The running water coursing down Satine’s body was in a word, divine. She stretched out her time in the bathing pod as long as she dared, but as she turned off the water, her fingers lingered on the thick scar that trailed down her upper thigh. Unbidden memories flitted through her mind, as they always did when she caught sight of the old wound. Memories of the last time she had been forced to live on the run flooded back in. More specifically, memories of the young Jedi she had so naively fallen for. The same Jedi who had given her that scar in an embarrassing tumble while attempting to gallantly carry her to safety. Satine sighed, at least she wouldn’t have to suffer through that again. She was steering clear of the Clone War raging across the galaxy for just that reason.

The hyperspace alert jarred Satine from her reverie. She methodically donned her armor and made her way back to the cockpit to start her descent on Florrum. Satine coasted near the pirate stronghold until they detected her. The angry transmissions began, buzzing for her to turn back, so she bartered her way into gaining permission to land. In the end, it was Hondo himself who cleared her. She heard him scolding his men boisterously over the comms,

“How many times have I told you? Never deny a paying customer!”

Satine landed, already dreading agreeing to a job that Aurra basically pressed her into taking. As she walked down the ramp and towards the assorted Weequay pirates, her mood didn’t improve. Clusters of pirates were participating in a variety of rowdy activities, and the sounds of tethered guard akk dogs snarling in her direction were somewhat unsettling.

But as a contrastingly imposing Weequay pirate strolled out of the camp and in her direction, Satine’s interest became marginally piqued. He wore a long blood-red trench coat which swished subtly around him with each step. A brightly colored, and oddly coordinating, Kowakian monkey-lizard was perched on his shoulder. Of course, no pirate captain was complete without his hat. The Weequay wore a dark and dense-looking helmet which was matched with a pair of thick goggles strapped to his face. As he approached, Satine noticed the helmet had an odd chitinous appearance. There was no doubt in her mind that this was Hondo. He set an odd impression, but Aurra’s veiled praise had warned Satine not to underestimate him.

As Hondo neared Satine, he waved his arms around animatedly in greeting, his assorted gold rings glinting in the Florrum sun.

“Well, hello there and welcome to Florrum. I am Hondo Ohnaka. Come, come my new Mandalorian friend. Let us grab a drink while my men refuel your ship. I have a feeling we have some business to discuss.”

Satine nodded in response and walked with Hondo towards one of the scattered buildings, which turned out to be his modest cantina. He rambled the whole way, taking Satine’s silences as prompts to continue. As they walked inside and took a seat in a semi-private booth near the back, Hondo dropped his endless stream of consciousness and stared at her curiously. A female Weequay rushed over with drinks, setting them down in front of them. Hondo nodded his thanks and instructed her that they were not to be disturbed. He reached down by his side and simply set a blaster pistol onto the table, it wasn’t pointed directly at Satine, but Hondo placed his hand on top of the weapon in a vaguely menacing gesture.

Hondo chuckled softly, leaning in towards Satine, his monkey-lizard echoed the laugh eerily.

“Now, my dear. Why don’t you tell Hondo why you are really here?”

* * *

Mando’ad (pl. -e): Mandalorian; Literally: “Son/Daughter of Mandalore”

Mando’ad draar digu: A Mandalorian never forgets.

Ori’vod: Big brother/sister

Ret’urcye mhi: Goodbye; literally: “Maybe we’ll meet again.”

Vod (pl. –e): Brother/sister


	2. Enemy of the Repubic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as Satine finds herself in a fair situation, a surprise visitor comes to Florrum and shakes things up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found out this week is actually Obitine week, so I am posting Chapter 2 early.

Satine was in her element as the blaster landed with a dull thud on the table – another day, another stand-off. She slowly leaned back into her seat and crossed her arms before she addressed Hondo’s pointed question.

“Aurra sent me to assist with your…little problem.”

“Hmmm. Well, it took her long enough. But I am glad to finally have some help with this. Then I can assume she has filled you in on the nature of my request?”

Satine responded with a subtle nod. The monkey-lizard grumbled, looking disappointed at the turn of events. His grumbling turned into a low growling and Hondo pushed him unceremoniously off his shoulder, laughing nervously in a way of apology as the monkey-lizard skittered away angrily.

"I don’t think Pilf likes you. But then again, it does not really matter what he thinks!”

A few loud guffaws followed this revelation and Satine patiently waited for them to subside. The Weequay captain took a large swig of his drink, sniffing softly, and lowered the blaster back under the table with his free hand, sliding it into his holster. With a subtle glance, Hondo swept the cantina for potential eavesdroppers and continued addressing Satine, dropping his voice to a serious octave,

"Well, now that you are finally here, I can finally spring my flawless trap. I had not anticipated having such an esteemed hunter to carry it out. This should be as easy as taking clams from a Gungan!”

"And the plan is…?”

“Ah, well I am going to tell my men about a very profitable heist as bait. Then you find the traitor when he contacts whoever he is working for. We’ll only have one shot at finding the filthy turncoat.”

“That’s your whole plan?”

“Of course! It is a fool-proof plan!” Hondo scratched his chin and mumbled quietly, “…I think.”

“What happens when your men realize the job was a ruse and they aren’t getting paid?”

Hondo’s eyes glinted as he leaned in towards Satine to respond,

“When I’m done with the traitor, my men will gladly forget about the whole thing.”

Satine waved an armored hand dismissively.

“Then your plan will suffice. Give me a few days to familiarize myself to your camp here and then we’ll spring your trap.”

Hondo tossed his arms up in delight.

“Wonderful!” He downed his remaining drink, sighing with the burn. As Hondo began eyeing Satine’s untouched drink he looked back up at her curiously and added,

“So…you’re just going to leave that thing on? I like to see who I am hiring face to face. I’m sure you’ll understand”

Satine's answer was somewhat exaggerated to help protect her identity, but she carefully maintained her disinterested monotone all the same.

“Mandalorians do not remove their helmets in the company of others.”

Hondo tilted his own helmet slightly to give his head a scratch as he pondered her statement. A quick hiccup lead Satine to believe this was not his first drink of the day. The pirate hummed with curiosity as he pushed his chitinous cap back into place on his head and countered Satine.

“So that would be a no?”

“That would be a no.”

“Such a shame.” The teasing tone in Hondo’s voice forced Satine to calmly put an end to the issue by adding,

“I’m sure you’ll understand.”

“Ha! Touché, my well-armored friend. You will have to forgive me. I have never had the honor of working with a Mandalorian before. I still have many questions about your religion, but that is for another time and another place.”

Without hesitation, Hondo simply reached out and plucked Satine’s drink from out in front of her, winked a little too forcibly, and drained the contents in one long swig. Laughter bubbled up from deep within the pirate and Satine couldn’t resist smirking under her helmet at his unbridled enthusiasm, despite the circumstances. Hondo dropped the cup back onto the table and looked at Satine curiously once more. He asked quickly,

“And what, may I ask, is your name?”

Satine simply stared at Hondo, not planning on answering. She tilted her head slightly in defiance and Hondo chuckled some more, flashing a wide smile.

“Of course, of course, I should have known. Well, I’ll come up with something to call you.”

* * *

Satine was given modest accommodations. Hondo had attempted forcing her into “ _the most extravagant rooms credits can buy_.” She had frankly doubted that claim but managed to barter for a smaller room as a part of her payment. The simple bedroom, refresher, attached living space, and a door that locked was more than enough to satisfy her needs.

Dropping her small pack of necessities onto the bare metal table, Satine whipped out her communications device and sent a quick coded transmission. In all the excitement, she had almost forgotten to check in with her sister. Seconds later, she received the quick coded response letting her know Bo was well and nothing had changed.

For the next few days, Satine loitered outside The Sparrow making small repairs as a pretense to observe the pirates. She identified the hierarchy and cliques and noted the men who kept to themselves. For the most part, the cantina, the main hall, and the central clearing were the preferred pirate hangouts. Betting, roughhousing, and drinking were frequent in either area. Only a few curious Weequay wandered over to grunt out a question or two while she worked. One even tried challenging her, but he ended up limping away and buying her the peace she needed to go about her work.

Hondo held one of his assemblies to cover the goings-on in the camp and leads for new jobs. Satine had been present for each one since her arrival, always observing the men more than watching Hondo himself. The whole affair was mostly for show to keep the men entertained and complacent. She loitered in the back, leaning casually against a wall as everyone waited for Hondo to make his usual grand entrance. As if on que, he appeared, addressing the men excitedly while his eyes swept the assembled group, lingering on Satine curiously. She gave him a slow deliberate nod and Hondo jumped into action weaving his trap with a tale of riches. Satine smiled, impressed as she realized he was enticing them just enough to rouse them, but not enough that they wouldn’t be able to get over the inevitable disappointment.

The crowd dispersed and Satine watched the pirates, waiting for one to stray from their pattern. To her surprise, a small group of three pirates lingered to the back of the dispersing assembly. She easily followed them, unnoticed. They were not paying much attention to their surroundings when walking into a large storage room. All Satine had to do was peek around the doorway to watch their secret holocall. It was time to go tell Hondo the bad news.

* * *

“Blast! I knew I was getting too comfortable. How did I not see this happening?”

The Weequay’s arms whipped around in the air and Satine dodged them politely. Hondo mumbled his apologies and dropped into his chair in frustration.

“Having three traitors only makes things more problematic, but we can still resolve this.”

Satine agreed.

“True, but the plan stays the same. Send me the signal when you are ready.”

She waited for Hondo’s nod of approval, then turned to leave him muttering to himself on his throne.

A few days later, Satine was sitting near the edge of the stronghold, tinkering with her favorite modified blaster carbine. As she was aligning the sights, a few grumbling Weequay strolled by complaining loudly about a Jedi on his way to their base. At the mention of the Jedi, she snapped her head up to stare at the pirates. Satine addressed them, speaking up sharply to grab their wandering attentions.

“Did you say a Jedi was landing here?”

The men looked at each other until one of them finally piped up,

“Yeah. He should be here by now.”

“Who’s coming, what is his name?”

“Uh… Kenobi I think. We tried to hold him for ransom him a cycle back, but now he’s best friends with the boss.”

They tossed their heads back laughing at some joke unbeknownst to her and shuffled away, their mid-day intoxication setting in. Satine stared after them for a moment, dread settling deep within her. She had to move, and fast. Her workspace was in clear view of the landing area, but scanning the skies, she could not yet see any approaching ships. With a flurry, she gathered her supplies and tossed them onto her ship, securing the hold behind her. The small dot had finally appeared on the horizon and grew rapidly with the ship’s approach. Satine strode over to the nearest building, the cantina, hoping it would be the last place the Jedi would go. She sat in a dark nook in the back facing the door, determined to patiently wait this out. To Satine’s disappointment, she did not have to wait long for everything to fall apart.

In his typical flamboyant fashion, Hondo was heard before he could be seen. He strolled into the cantina with his Jedi friend in tow and Satine groaned audibly as recognition took hold of her. Of course, Obi-wan had aged beautifully. A full beard now obscured his features, but the familiar ginger locks and piercing blue eyes had a visceral effect on Satine. As nerves punched deep into her stomach, longing and frustration set even deeper into her heart. Satine leaned back in her seat as if attempting to blend further into the shadows, clenching her fists bitterly.

Hondo dragged Obi-wan over to the bar and somehow managed to stuff a drink into his hands. Despite the exasperated expression on the Jedi’s face, he eyed his drink wearily before slowly raising the cup to his lips. Satine tensed as she watched him pause and set the cup back down. Then his eyes begin to dart suspiciously around the cantina, dancing closer and closer to her miserable hiding place. Obi-wan froze as his eyes settled onto Satine, his posture growing hostile and his hand reaching for his lightsaber as he glanced the clan sigil on her shoulder pauldron. Satine cursed under her breath as she switched her blaster to stun and positioned herself defensively in return. Obi-wan growled at Hondo.

“What in the blazes is a Mandalorian doing here?”

Hondo forced a smile and pat Obi-wan on the shoulder in an attempt to diffuse the obvious tension in the cantina as he answered,

“Oh, she is working on a job for me. A temporary arrangement. I can assure you Master Jedi, there is no need to be concerned.”

Obi-wan and Satine continued to stare each other down, both posed with hands resting on their weapons. He spoke over his shoulder to Hondo,

“She is a member of Death Watch, Hondo. They only wage war, and so, are enemies of the Republic. I am going to have to take her in.”

The Jedi began striding towards Satine as Hondo shouted pointlessly at his back. His lightsaber powered up with a hum and Satine raised her blaster, cursing her luck. Of course, Obi-wan would charge in like this and make this into the worst-case scenario. Satine stared at her old lover in dismay as he tilted his saber towards her, declaring sternly,

“Mandalorian, in the name of the Galactic Republic, you are under arrest.”

And Satine opened fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Things will be moving a little more quickly in the next few chapters.  
> Comments are greatly appreciated!


	3. The Impasse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now face to face with her past, Satine has to find a way to escape from Obi-wan Kenobi without revealing her identity and deal with the aftermath of the encounter.

Obi-wan’s lightsaber whirled in a glowing blue blur of colored motion, deflecting every single one of Satine’s well-aimed blaster bolts. They ricocheted into the cantina walls, scattering the drunken pirates from their tankards. Hondo’s head poked up from his hiding spot behind the bar, watching them intently. Obi-wan lifted his free hand and flicked his wrist casually to the side before Satine felt her blaster being ripped from her grasp to be launched across the room. She raised her gauntlet and launched a cable, which wrapped around the Jedi’s legs. While he wobbled for a moment, Satine shouted at him,

“Jedi, I have no quarrel with you or your Republic. Leave me be.”

Obi-wan frowned and cut through the cable with ease. He reached out and Satine felt an invisible wall collide with her. She was pushed backwards a few feet before she was able to shift her stance to gain some purchase on the gritty cantina floor and slow her momentum. Using her other gauntlet, she activated a shock pulse, which cracked through the air to encompass Obi-wan’s body. This managed to stagger him enough to release the force he was exerting upon Satine. She took advantage of her opening, lowered her head, and charged him. Her helmet landed on target with a dull thud and a surprised gasp from Obi-wan when they both fell to the ground, his lightsaber clattering away on the floor. As they tumbled, Satine grabbed the knife stashed in her boot and straddled Obi-wan, hovering the blade gently above his neck. She tried desperately to dissuade him again.

“Be on your way, Jedi. I don’t want to hurt you. Just leave me in peace.”

With a metallic rattle, Obi-wan’s lightsaber rolled back across the floor and into his outstretched hand. He bucked his body to unseat Satine and rolled over to straddle her. Obi-wan activated his lightsaber and placed it at Satine’s throat. Frustration boiled over within Satine as she felt old pain and bittersweet memories return to her with the strength of his legs pressing into hers. She was almost starting to enjoy this but remained perfectly still as to not tempt fate while she could also feel the heat of his lightsaber against her neck. Obi-wan’s voice broke through her stream of consciousness.

“You and your clan murdered Satine Kryze in cold blood. She was a noble pacifist who threatened your rule, and for that, she was gunned down like a dangerous criminal. You do not know the meaning of peace.”

Satine grew cold and she felt her fight start to fade away. He thought she was dead, after all this time. She hesitated before speaking up,

“I took no part in that. Death Watch has since been dissolved and Mandalore is under new rule. The rule of a force user named Maul. I believe you know him.”

Disbelief rippled across Obi-wan’s face.

“How do you know this?”

“He’s half-mad. In his ramblings he talks about you. A lot.”

Obi-wan paused as he considered this, and Hondo took advantage of the lull in the violent exchange to break from his hiding place and approach the two.

“As much as I would love to leave you both to it, you need to stop shooting up my cantina! This Mandalorian is my guest, Kenobi, as are you, and you will treat her as such.”

Hondo smirked as he eyed their positioning and added,

“Unless you would rather retire to your quarters to finish whatever this is.”

This raised a look of disgust from Obi-wan as he deactivated his lightsaber and lifted himself off Satine, brushing off his robes. He turned and walked out of the cantina without another word. Hondo turned to Satine and offered a hand. Shame settled over her as she took it silently and nodded her thanks to Hondo, not trusting herself to speak, but Hondo spoke for her,

“I will take care of the Jedi. Go blow off some steam.”

The look Hondo was giving her through his thick goggles unsettled her. It was almost as if he knew. . .

Satine left the cantina and strode over to the speeder bikes the pirates kept at the ready. She climbed onto one, despite the shouts from the nearby men. They stopped complaining when Hondo walked out and gave them a stern look. Satine glanced back at the Captain, who nodded further encouragement, and punched the throttle, taking off across the dusty Florrum landscape.

Satine pushed the speeder, going faster and faster until she spied a little outcropping next to a gigantic, and rather scenic, chasm. She parked her speeder and wandered over to sit on the shady ledge, letting her legs dangle freely. Staring out at the view, she removed her helmet and took a deep breath of fresh air. A few ground roots from a nearby tree poked out of the ledge, so she took out her dagger and hacked off a large piece and began whittling aimlessly. She had been trying to avoid this exact confrontation, but instead ran headfirst into her past.

Hours passed as the sun neared the rocky horizon. Satine looked down to examine her efforts and heard the whine of an approaching speeder bike. She replaced her helmet and waited on her ledge for Hondo to approach. He walked over and stood next to Satine, gazing out over the expanse with her in silence. Eventually, Hondo sighed and walked over to take a seat on a nearby boulder. He cleared his throat and spoke softly.

“I saw how you reacted when Obi-wan spoke of the woman named Satine. You knew her. Who was she to you?”

Satine continued to stoically stare off into the sunset, so Hondo continued,

“You are Satine, aren’t you?”

This time, Hondo waited patiently for her answer. After deciding how much she could tell the Pirate Captain, Satine kept her gaze trained on the chasm as she answered.

“He can never know I’m alive.”

“Ah. But I’ve never seen Kenobi react with so much emotion before. Would it not be better if he knew the truth?”

“No. It would only make things worse if he knew what I have become.”

“I see.” Hondo rested his head on his fist thoughtfully, “So you two were. . . close, I take it?”

“Where are you going with this, Hondo?”

“Just looking for a little background information, but fair enough. Message received.”

Satine slid her knife back into her boot and started cleaning shavings from her small sculpture. Hondo suddenly sat up and blurted out,

“Were you really a pacifist?”

Satine turned her visor towards Hondo to find him barely suppressing a smile and found herself starting to smile too.

“Yeah,” she laughed, “I was, once upon a time.”

“Clearly, that ship has long since sailed.” Hondo chuckled in agreement. “Well, the coast is clear for whenever you’re ready to head back. Kenobi left right after you both destroyed my cantina.”

“I am sorry about that. Oh, can you tow in my speeder?”

Hondo looked surprised and glanced over the speeder Satine had used. He looked weary when he asked,

“Did you destroy that too?”

Satine found herself smiling again as she tossed her little carving over to Hondo.

“No. I just wanted to fly back.”

Then she pushed herself off the ledge, disappearing without a sound. Hondo walked over to look just as Satine shot back into view and across the sky with her jetpack blazing. He shook his head and looked down curiously at the small carving before slipping it into his pocket.

By the time Satine returned to camp, she was in much better spirits. Flying with a jetpack was always so invigorating. She went and sat in her ship for a while, wanting a familiar setting. As usual, Satine ended up talking aimlessly with Esso, but her holocom started chirping and Hondo appeared when she answered it. He turned his head a few times, glancing around on his end, then spoke quickly.

“The final preparations have been made. We carry out our plan in the morning.”

“Understood.”

The little blue image blinked out and Satine made her own preparations for the next day’s excitement. She sealed herself onto her ship and retired to her personal quarters for the night.

Hondo’s plan, shockingly, went without a hitch. The men were outed, confronted, and put in their place while Satine watched from a sniper’s nest. One still charged towards Hondo wielding a giant vibrosword, but Satine took him down before he could do any damage. The Captain never flinched as she took her shot, nor did he waver when the vibrosword was mere moments from landing a killing blow. The pirate coup was effectively over, her job was done.

Satine met Hondo in the cantina, where he was celebrating his little victory. On her arrival, Hondo pulled Satine aside and had her follow him outside, hiccupping and wobbling occasionally as he spoke,

“Come, come, my dear. We have things to discuss.”

Once they walked far enough away from prying ears, Hondo became curiously sober while addressing Satine again.

“Here is your payment. I told you it was a fool-proof plan.” He winked happily.

Satine took the credit chits and added,

“Nice trick.”

Hondo gave Satine a wicked smile.

“It’s always better to be underestimated. Especially after exposing a mutiny plot in your camp.” He paused and then added,

“There is another matter I would like to discuss with you. Where will you go now?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I’ll find some suitable backwater planet to lay low on.”

“So you are on the run then?” That made Satine pause, she had said too much. But this insufferable pirate was surprisingly intuitive and she was quite obviously in hiding.

“Yes. The new regime on Mandalore wants me dead. It was only a matter of time before they turned their eye back on to me, and that time has come.”

“Then stay here.”

“What?” Satine’s surprise was audible, even through the sound filters in her helmet.

“Stay here on Florrum. You can do more jobs for me, or any personal jobs that strike your fancy. And if anyone comes sniffing around, I can keep you hidden from their prying eyes.”

“You just want me to stay on as your bodyguard.”

“Well, that would be my one request. We do work so well together!”

“You also know too much about me.”

Hondo had the grace to look hurt.

“Oh, I would never stoop so low! We will have to come up with a new name for you though.”

Satine considered her options. He was right. It was in her best interest to stay, for now at least. She sighed,

“As long as it isn’t my real name, I’m sure it will be just fine.”

Hondo smiled and put an arm around Satine’s shoulders, booming loudly,

“Wonderful! Welcome aboard. I will make a fearsome pirate out of you yet.”

Satine turned her visor over to look at the hand and arm Hondo had resting on her armor. She continued staring until Hondo retracted his appendage, chuckling nervously.

“Of course, first and foremost, you will remain my honorable and fearsome Mandalorian colleague.”

“And you will give me ample warning if any Jedi decide to come calling.”

“You will know the moment I hear anything.”

Satine watched Hondo curiously. She was still determining how much the man could be trusted. His offer was a surprise, but still, it was a welcome one. Riding this out was her best option. Satine nodded curtly at Hondo, hesitated, and said,

“Thank you.”

Then turned and walked back into the pirate stronghold before she could change her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and for all of the kudos! :)  
> And I always appreciate the comments!


	4. That's the Spirit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An opportunity arises to assist the Jedi. But Satine has to decide if she will risk exposing her secret to aid them on their desperate mission.

Several months passed spent as Hondo’s stoic enforcer, and Satine was enjoying her life as a pirate more than she would care to admit. Piracy wasn’t exactly what the Mandalorian creed had in mind but seeing as she was both on the run and not even a traditional Mandalorian, she decided the rules could be bent just a little in her case. Regardless, she took precautions to help hide her identity when venturing outside of the stronghold, such as leaving out the small issue of her temporary profession when she checked in with her sister and painting over the Death Watch clan sigil displayed on her armor – that last, most drastic precaution was also the most painful.

Hondo was focused on a rousing game of sabacc with his men when Satine returned from overseeing their regular fuel run. She strode into the main hall, walking around the modestly populated banquet tables to make her way to the betting tables set off to the side. Settling into a spot standing behind Hondo’s shoulder, Satine patiently waited for him to finish his turn. Hondo drew a card and leaned back in his seat to keep his eyes trained on his fidgety opponents. He spoke over his shoulder in Satine’s general direction.

“How did everything go this time? Did the Ugnauts give you any more trouble?”

“No. I think they learned their lesson.”

“Wonderful! You truly have a knack for this, my dear.”

He cleared his throat oddly and beckoned for Satine to come in closer. She leaned in slowly until Hondo started chuckling. He fluttered his free fingers vaguely and muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

“Would you be so kind…?”

Satine responded by unholstering her blaster pistol and raising her arm, firing a single shot into the ceiling. Everyone in her vicinity reacted immediately -- most of the pirates fell to the ground while everyone else looked around wildly. Glasses and bottles crashed to the ground amongst the pirates’ startled shouts. The exception, of course, was Hondo. In the chaos, he switched out his card in a flash and Satine twirled her blaster before sliding it back down into her holster in one long flourish.

“Sorry,” she grunted, “thought I saw a Mynock.”

The men all stared at her, mouths agape. Hondo shouted at them to get back to the game and Satine turned to leave. As she neared the door, Satine heard Hondo declare,

“Ha! Pure Sabacc!”, which was followed by complaints and loudly-voiced disbelief.

Just as the bitter mob began nearing accusations of cheating, a scout rushed in past Satine. She paused and watched as the runner located Hondo and spoke quickly into his ear. Hondo looked up sharply and shouted,

“Mando! Come with me.”

Satine turned around to follow Hondo into a more private office attached to the back of the large banquet area. As the door hissed shut behind them, Hondo spoke up.

“Our mutual Jedi friend is on his way and he has brought a few friends with him. They need my help with something, urgently. Normally, I would suggest that you stay away, but I need extra eyes that I can trust. I am going to need you with me when they arrive. Just in case things go sideways.”

Satine nodded solemnly in agreement. The Jedi, _her_ Jedi, had not been back since their heated reunion several months back. But she would watch Hondo’s back.

“He might try to arrest me again.”

“That is a possibility, but I made it clear you were not to be harassed again.”

Satine doubted it would make a difference, but she was prepared to ward him off if necessary.

“Fine. When do they land?”

He sniffed and shrugged at Satine apologetically.

“Any minute now…so we’d better get going.”

* * *

A large Eta-class Republic shuttle rumbled towards the small assembled group of pirates. They had picked up two of Hondo’s officers on their way out to the landing area to beef up their group. Dust whipped around them as the shuttle touched down and the ramp lowered with a hiss. Two sets of boots appeared as the Jedi descended and Satine zeroed in on Obi-wan’s legs before his torso and head even came into view. As he continued to descend, she noted that he was as immaculately kept as usual, every hair and tabard in place.

Then she took a long curious look at the dark-haired Jedi striding down the ramp next to Obi-wan; this had to be General Skywalker. Even Satine had heard of Obi-wan’s old apprentice and their exploits across the Galaxy. He seemed so young for one so renowned. Obi-wan’s gaze immediately swiveled onto Satine and hardened. The tenseness in his voice made Satine grit her jaw as he spoke.

“It’s you! Hondo, you said this was going to be temporary.”

“Well yes, it was temporary, until I offered her a more…permanent position.”

Anakin let out a small huff of laughter, which was immediately followed by a glare from Obi-wan. He stopped laughing at the sight of his master’s expression, but a smirk remained on his lips. Hondo clapped his hands and rubbed them together.

“Good. Now that your concern has been noted, let us go inside and discuss your proposition.”

Then two more pairs of boots started down the ramp, but these were white armored clone trooper boots. Satine watched, intrigued, as the two clones strode into view and down towards the assembled group. One had a scouting helmet configuration with orange markings, the other had a slightly modified helmet with blue embellishments decorating his armor. To Satine’s surprise, Jaig eyes adorned the dome of the blue trooper’s helmet. That sigil was rarely even awarded to clan leaders in Mandalorian culture, she couldn’t image what this clone had to have gone through to earn those marks of bravery. There were rumors the estranged Mandalorian, Jango Fett, had been involved in his clones’ training and upbringing. This seemed to further validate them.

The two clones trained their gazes upon Satine, then glanced at each other before falling in next to their Jedi Generals. Obi-wan added,

“This is Commander Cody,”

He gestured at the orange trooper standing near himself. Then he gestured towards the blue trooper waiting near Anakin.

“And this is Captain Rex. They have come to assess our options.”

Hondo bobbed his head in greeting and started directing everyone indoors.

“Well met, I’m sure, but we had best go inside. Come, come.”

Hondo lead everyone to his private planning room, instructing his officers to stand guard outside. He gave Satine an apologetic grimace as she was forced to enter the room behind their guests. She strode slowly around the perimeter of the room, her gear clinking softly with each step. She came to a stop at her usual spot lingering back behind Hondo’s shoulder. Obi-wan crossed his arms and continued to glare at Satine, so Anakin cleared his throat and spoke up.

“Thank you for seeing us on such short notice Hondo, but we need your help. The battle on Felucia is stalling and the casualties are overwhelming us. It is critical that we do not lose our footing there. We need someone outside of the Republic army to assist us with a …sensitive matter.”

Hondo frowned, rubbing his chin as he responded.

“Sensitive, how?”

Anakin realized Obi-wan wasn’t chiming in. He paused as he glanced at his Master, who was still glowering at the mysterious Mandalorian standing back at a comfortable distance behind Hondo. Her helmet hid her face, but her body language seemed indifferent to his Master’s attentions. She was radiating the strange combination of laid-back protectiveness typically displayed by a seasoned bodyguard. Her hands were resting on her utility belt with ease, but Anakin knew she could draw her blaster in a heartbeat if provoked. Captain Rex recognized his General’s preoccupation and interjected to continue the briefing.

“We need an operative to go behind enemy lines and cause some subterfuge and destroy specific targets by any means necessary.”

“Why come to me for this? This cannot be done with your own men?”

Anakin responded to Hondo this time.

“We wouldn’t get far. One of the Separatist leaders has set up a small base on Felucia and as we are spread thin enough, an outside agent could be able to infiltrate this camp and potentially even play the other side.” He shrugged, adding, “and they know what we all look like.”

“Hmm, well, unfortunately infiltration isn’t exactly something my men are good at. I would say they are more like blunt objects than surgical tools. . . But if you would like to see what they can do, you are more than welcome to test them, with compensation for their time, of course.”

Hondo laughed with a wicked grin. Obi-wan finally glanced over at the pirate captain and retorted with a small eye roll,

“We would expect nothing less from you, Hondo.”

Satine had to agree with Hondo’s own assessment of his men. None of them were suited for this task. Her mind flipped through some of the methods she would use and could not see the Weequay being able to pull off any of them. Hondo himself, maybe, but he would not extend himself so far into obvious danger with so little promise of reward.

Captain Rex and Commander Cody turned their helmets to share another look. The clone in orange piped up,

“Sir, I don’t think we need to look at the men. We want her.”

Satine tensed at being singled out. Obi-wan looked at Cody incredulously and exclaimed,

“Absolutely not!”

Cody continued to address his Jedi General with ease.

“Begging your pardon Sir, but she is the most qualified being on this rock.”

Obi-wan looked to his clone Commander again, took a breath, and let his voice soften a little with his reply.

“I’m sorry Cody, Mandalorians cannot be trusted.”

Hondo piped up in an attempt to keep the peace and more voices began to overlap. Satine finally addressed the room sternly. Silence fell over them at the sound of her voice.

“No.”

Silence drew out and Satine continued.

“I will not help you.”

Stunned silence stretched on for a few more moments until Hondo spoke up merrily.

“Excuse us for a moment, I need a word with my associate.”

Hondo slipped out of the tense room with Satine following carefully behind. They walked down the hall to stay out of earshot from the pirates guarding the room. He rounded on Satine

“What are you thinking? This could be your chance to make things right with Kenobi! And then they would have to owe us when you go and save the day.”

“He doesn’t want anything to do with me, Hondo.”

“That is because he does not know who you are. His anger is directed at a misunderstanding.”

Satine did not respond, so Hondo continued persuading her.

“Even if you do not reveal your identity, would your honor not demand that you prove Kenobi wrong? I can’t force you to help these Jedi, but I know you’ll do the right thing.”

Satine responded with a curse under her breath, but Hondo still heard it and chuckled.

“That’s the spirit.”

Satine entered the room and strode up to Obi-wan, who grew very still at her presence. She lifted her hand in front of her in a placating gesture and spoke.

“Peace Jedi. My word is my bond and I will do this for you and your men.”

Obi-wan crossed his arms in silence and Anakin gave the pair of them another curious look. The younger Jedi piped up, interrupting another rebuttal from his Master.

“Thank you, we will gladly accept your help. Cody, Rex, if you would take our new friend. . .”

“Shae.”

“. . .Shae, and start your assessments and briefing.”

The pair sounded almost giddy as they snapped to with a chorused,

“Thank you, Sir.”

“Of course, Sir.”

Satine lingered in front of Obi-wan with her gaze upon the Jedi’s face, wanting to tell him everything. Wanting to reach out and hold him, to feel his strength and his warmth against her body again. She simply had to remove her helmet, but now did not feel like the right time. She needed to sow some more seeds of trust. She had to prove herself first so Obi-wan could understand why she became who she was now. Satine took a slow deep breath to steady herself and walked away, leaving Obi-wan with a curious frown on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I appreciate all of the comments and kudos, they really mean so much :)


	5. Preparations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did fight some creative blocks while writing this chapter, so it took much longer than I had anticipated. But I have a strong outline for the next few chapters coming up.  
> That being said, my nursing classes start this week, so my time will be stretched very thin. I will write when I can, but please be patient for any new chapters. I will keep them coming :)  
> Thank you for all of the views and kudos! Comments are always appreciated!

Dust sprayed across the waiting clones as Satine skidded to a halt in front of them, finally coming to a stop after completing yet another assessment. Captain Rex took off his helmet with a small smile of admiration and Cody nodded, seeming pleased as well from within his helm. Rex addressed Satine.

“Sir, we have nothing more to ask of you. You seem more than capable of carrying out this mission, as we expected.”

Satine walked up to the clone and stared into the face of Jango Fett. She had never personally met the ostracized Mandalorian before his untimely demise but could now at least put a face to the name. It was a very odd feeling knowing Commander Cody had the same face under his helmet, as well as the rest of the entire clone army. Almost as if he could sense her train of thought, Cody lifted off his helm to reveal his matching face and glanced at his brother. Satine crossed her arms and asked with a hint of a smile.

“But there is something else you would like for me to do, isn’t there?” 

“Well, Sir, we heard that you had a shockwhip.”

“Oh really, and who told you that?”

Satine turned her head from their makeshift training space to look over towards the stronghold, where a group of pirates had been forming to watch Satine’s exhibition. Hondo, who was lounging in the center of the audience, began scratching his head nervously as he noticed Satine glowering at him through her visor. She turned back to Rex and Cody.

“I guess we’d better get the training droid back up and running. I have an audience to entertain now.”

Rex and Cody chuckled as they turned the droid back on-line and ordered it to the middle of their arena. Satine took a moment to unclip the whip from her belt and shake it loose. As the whip uncoiled onto the dusty ground, she rolled her shoulders and thumbed the switch that activated the shockwhip with a faint crackle.

The droid slowly churned to life. Vibroswords slid out of its arms and blasters lifted from armored shoulders as it slipped into a combat ready position. Satine began circling the droid, twitching the whip in her wake. Lifting her arm, she whirled it over her head, flipping out the tail to crack menacingly into the air.

The droid moved forward and fired a shot from each blaster. The bolts just barely scraped Satine’s pauldron as she rolled away. Landing on one knee, Satine cracked her whip, wrapping the tip around its metallic arm in a splatter of sparks. She pulled down sharply, staggering the droid towards her, its vibroswords cutting through the air towards her helmet. Satine held her crouched position until the moment she could feel the blades’ shuddering current vibrate within her own helmet, then spun on her knees while neatly dodging each blade. Now behind the droid, Satine unsheathed her dagger and leapt towards its back, quickly stabbing the servos controlling the two blasters. They sparked and fell limp.

Satine backed up a few steps, crouching slightly while waiting for the droid’s next move. It turned around and started back towards her. She wrapped the whip around its arm once more, but this time the droid swung its arm down and around to sling Satine across the ground. Barrel-rolling a few times, Satine rose, loosening the whip and flicking it back to her side.

The droid and Satine charged each other. Crackling current filled the air as Satine energized her whip while using it to ensnare the droid’s leg. The pulse froze the leg in place and Satine slid past, sending up a plume of dust, once again dodging the waving vibroswords. Pulling on her whip once more, Satine sent the droid to the ground, then released and lashed the whip back to wrap around the droid’s neck. She sent another shock of energy down the whip to stun her target. As the droid lay in the dust, twitching, Satine jumped on top to plunge her vibroblade into the exposed circuits of its neck, giving the hilt a sharp twist. Leaning back for a slow breath, Satine slowly spread her arms to drop her weapons and back to tear off the droid’s head in a scattering of debris. 

Satine rose to a stunned silence with a meager amount of scattered applause and dropped the droid head to the side with a resounding thud. Hondo was booming her praises, but Satine turned to realize the two Jedi had shown up sometime during her melee with the droid. They were far enough away that Satine couldn’t read their expressions, so she turned back to Rex and Cody. 

Anakin crossed his arms and leaned back, impressed. He glanced at his Master’s indecipherably grumpy expression and said,

“See, she can handle herself just fine. This will be fun!”

Obi-wan raised an eyebrow at Anakin and sighed.

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Obi-wan stroked his chin thoughtfully. He couldn’t figure out this Mandalorian’s motives. She had accepted half of the offered price to assist them on this risky endeavor. Either she was simply so confident in her skills that she was in this for the thrill, or there was the more sinister option: she had an ulterior motive to betray them. Despite his reservations, Rex and Cody were rather taken with her, and they were frustratingly effective judges of character. 

In a moment of curiosity, Obi-wan closed his eyes and gently reached out with the force to try and gleam some insight on her intentions. Calm radiated from her through the fatigue that had settled in from her earlier physical display. He could find no deep dark threatening feelings--some questionable grey area, certainly, but nothing truly alarming. Curiously, a slow warmth began building in her, an eerily familiar feeling that she was obviously keeping repressed. Obi-wan snapped open his eyes and started as he caught the Mandalorian turning her head away from where he was standing. He could understand her anger towards him, which made Obi-wan feel a small pang of guilt. Maybe her motives were as simple as wanting to prove herself. In his experience, no Mandalorian had ever lifted a finger to help the Republic or the Jedi before, so there was a distinct possibility that she could very well be different.

Satine had been watching Obi-wan rather openly. He seemed to be meditating, so she took the opportunity to look him over. It was impossible to not appreciate the way his robes draped over his strong frame or watch the wind ruffle his hair. Just as her thoughts began to tip towards being over-indulgent, his eyes opened and she whirled on the spot, trying to look natural. He had been staring right at her. Satine walked back to her ship to assess her armor’s condition out of sight from wandering eyes.

Sitting at her workstation, Satine removed the pauldron that was scraped during the fight. She began repairs just as someone cleared their throat behind her. Luckily, her helmet hid her dismay as she turned to find Obi-wan standing there with a stern yet bemused look on his face. He glanced around her ship and tossed her a datapad, which she caught with her free hand.

“These are the coordinates of our rendezvous point. We’ll expect you there in 2 days’ time. There is some intel on there for you if you’d like to prepare further.”

Obi-wan sighed and added,

“We do appreciate your assistance.”

Satine couldn’t muster any words, so she nodded and set the datapad onto the table, turning back to repairing her pauldron. She could hear Obi-wan’s hesitant footsteps as he walked down the ramp and out of her ship.

* * *

Satine’s ship dropped out of hyperspace as three massive Republic cruisers appeared, looming in front of her. As she approached, her comms began buzzing furiously, so she transmitted the clearance codes the Jedi had provided. The hangar doors slid apart on one of the cruisers and Satine slipped inside, landing in her designated bay. She was glad to see a familiar face was waiting for her as she touched down. Despite the comfort it gave her to see the familiar blue armor of Captain Rex below her cockpit, Satine took a breath to steel herself; it wasn’t every day she ended up deep in the belly of an enemy ship.

Rex was cordial enough, but Satine was asked to wait patiently in the quarters she was provided with. A tense welcome was more or less what she had been expecting, so she accepted her situation without complaint. Lying on her cot, Satine removed her helmet and decided to rest up before they saw fit to retrieve her. Time blurred until the door to her chamber suddenly opened. She flinched reflexively for her helmet, swearing she had locked the door, but something froze her hand and limbs in place.

Without a word, the shadow in the doorway moved over to the bed and leaned over her. A beam of light illuminated Obi-wan’s face as he reached over to trace Satine’s cheek with his fingers. He leaned even closer and whispered into her ear,

“I always knew it was you.”

Satine writhed against her invisible shackles, her skin burning in response to his touch. Before she could react, he leaned in to press his lips upon hers. Obi-wan released the force exerting on her body and easily climbed on top of Satine. She could feel her heart begin to race as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in closer. His familiar musk drifted over Satine as Obi-wan continued his affections, now tracing her jaw with each deliberate touch of his lips, but his beard was a new sensation that brushed against her skin with each motion. A soft moan escaped from Satine as her body began to ache for him. Absentmindedly, Satine heard his voice echo in her ear.

“It’s time to go.”

Satine paused, looking up at Obi-wan, her vision blurring around the edges.

“What?”

A sharp rapping accompanied his voice.

“Shae, it’s time to go!”

Satine woke up with a start. The voice rang out again, clearly the voice of a clone trooper.

“It’s time for the briefing!”

She ran a hand through her hair and replaced her helmet with a sigh while studiously ignoring the betrayal of both her body and her subconscious. The door parted to reveal an unmarked clone trooper as her escort, and he led her to the briefing.

The clone stopped in front of a large door which opened with a soft hiss. Satine nodded her thanks to him and slipped inside. The room was dimly lit with a large holotable displaying multiple luminescent blue figures. She recognized Obi-wan’s silhouette immediately, then noted the other assorted Jedi and Clone Commanders on display. Luckily, she had not missed much. Anakin was present and as he noticed Satine’s entrance, he started his portion of the briefing, which included Satine’s role in the operation. Her mission was simple: infiltrate the separatist base, plant the explosives, go to a safe distance, and detonate. Detonation was the signal for the Republic troops to start their attack and Satine would continue to run interference until the battle’s end.

They loaded up on the Republic drop ships, where Satine was placed with General Skywalker, Captain Rex, and several auxiliary clones. Strangely glad to be free of General Kenobi for the moment, Satine was able to relax and steel herself for the battle to come. Whatever challenges this mission held, she would face a thousand times worse if it meant that she could even temporarily escape the ever-present thoughts of Obi-wan Kenobi that were plaguing her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments are greatly appreciated :)


	6. Subterfuge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle on Felucia begins and certain events transpire that can only have a revealing end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. This fic has become my nightly decompression after a long crazy day of either school or work. 
> 
> All of your comments and kudos mean so much :) Thank you!

Dusk settled over the jungle as Satine approached the Separatist encampment by speeder bike. She gave the perimeter a wide berth to avoid any mines or sensors and parked the bike in a dense cluster of ferns before continuing her trek on foot. This specific camp was established just before the start of the last cycle, and unsurprisingly, was fairly well fortified. Nevertheless, Satine managed to slip inside by jetting over the shielded fencing near a massive mushroom stalk, using its tangled mass of hanging vines as a screen. At the peak of her ascent, Satine cut off her jetpack and let the growing darkness consume her figure as she dropped the rest of the way, her boot dampeners absorbing the shock of her impact.

Sneaking up and down the rows of droid carriers and large artillery canons, Satine began to discreetly place explosives within each structure. After she ran out of cannons to sabotage, Satine slipped deeper into the camp and started planting her larger charges under and behind the comms equipment and control panels that Rex and Cody had provided as main targets.

Moving further into camp, Satine found what appeared to be a small command building. As she neared the opening, a gruff mechanically augmented voice cut through the air.

“. . . as you command, my Lord.”

Another voice hummed, too soft to discern the words, but the familiar pitch indicated the second speaker was a hologram. She continued to move closer as the first voice responded to the hologram again.

“I will crush these Republic fools myself.”

Now close enough, she could hear the hologram’s response.

“Careful, Grievous. I have had reports that Generals Kenobi and Skywalker have returned to the front. There is no doubt they will have an elaborate trap planned for you.”

“Of course, Count. I will start our assault at dawn.”

Harsh coughing erupted from inside the tent, which was intermingled with a few wheezes and hacking sounds. So the Jedi were right – they had suspected General Grievous was on Felucia. Satine leaned back into the shadows and prepared a coded message for the Jedi. Any transmitted communications would have been intercepted from inside the camp, so she unclipped a small homing droid from her belt and fed it the message. It chittered softly and a soft red confirmation light flashed once from its eye before it rose high overhead and shot off into the dark.

A large cloaked figure slinked out of the building and Satine walked out of the dark and into its path. Staring down the cybernetic Kaleesh General, Satine stood firm, showing him her empty hands. Battle droids began to crowd them as they finally noticed Satine’s presence. Grievous tilted his head and made a strange vibrating sound that ended in a short cough before addressing her.

“Who are you and what are you doing in my camp?”

“I am here for you General Grievous, to help you.”

Grievous hacked again and waved one of his pointy limbs in her direction. Adding,

“Take her prisoner.”

The two nearest battle droids droned,

“Roger, roger,” and they walked out of their circle and towards Satine.

She placed her arms behind her, as if surrendering, and waited for the droids to come close. They took out a pair of binders and reached for her wrists. Satine tossed the binders and kicked the closest droid square in its central body unit. It went flying and Satine lashed out with her knife to give the second droid a quick stab in the head. She shoved it unceremoniously, sparks spitting angrily out of the gash. It whined pitifully as it collapsed to the ground.

Metallic clacking echoed all around Satine as the swarm of remaining droids trained their weapons on her. Grievous made a frustrated bellow and strode into the clearing to loom over Satine. She addressed Grievous once more.

“I can help you take down the Republic.”

“Oh really,” Grievous replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “So you are not a Republic agent attempting to sneak into my camp and gain my trust.”

“No. I’m not.”

“Ha.”

“I’ve been hunted by the Republic my whole life, along with my people. They would rather kill me than even attempt to arrest me. I am here to offer my services to you, General.”

“I will kill you myself if you are lying to me.”

“I was attacked by the Jedi named Kenobi. The Jedi claim to be peaceful, but yet he attempted to kill me, unprovoked.”

Mentioning Obi-wan seemed to have done the trick. Grievous narrowed his eyes and forced out another angry cough.

“Fine. Come with me.”

Satine smiled from within her helm as she followed the General back into his command center.

* * *

Captain Rex was surveying the Felucian jungle from his vantage point lying on the ridge above the Republic camp. Other than the lone jungle rancor he found lumbering across the terrain in the distance, there was nothing to see and no signal or sign from Shae. Rex lowered his macrobinoculars onto the dirt, considering hailing Cody to see if he was having any luck watching on the other side of the camp.

Suddenly, a small black dot zoomed past Rex’s head and swung back around in an arc to hover in front of his visor. A red light began to flash from the little droid’s eye. Rex gave a small sigh of relief and provided the passcode to the little messenger droid. It dropped into his hand and began displaying Satine’s intel. He read it with a frown and leapt to his feet, scrambling back to his speeder.

* * *

“Nothing you are saying is useful, bounty hunter. I already know all of this.”

Satine glanced back at the map Grievous had displayed on the holo table. It was almost dawn, the army should be here any minute – she had to keep stalling. She waved at the Republic camp’s location.

“Well, you are about to attack the wrong location.”

“What?!”

“This isn’t the location of their camp. You’re off by about 10 kliks to the west.”

“That is impossible! My scouts mapped this location.”

“But your scouts are droids, the clones probably tampered with their memory banks. I have seen their fortifications with my own eyes.”

“Aaahh! Now I will have to delay my assault. . .”

Grievous coughed and stalked around the table angrily with his hands clasps behind his back. Satine tried not to fidget as she waited for the droids to locate the stray charge she had placed as bait. Then, as Satine was examining the holo-projected jungle, a droid appeared in the doorway addressing Grievous hesitantly.

“Uh. . . sir? I found this on one of our carriers.”

It lifted one of Satine’s flashing charges to show them both. Grievous swiveled his head from the charge, to Satine, and back to the explosive. He growled at the droid.

“You idiot, get that thing out of here.”

“Roger, roger.”

“Now!”

As the droid turned to leave, Grievous rounded on Satine angrily.

“You will pay for this, bounty hunter!”

Satine simply laughed at the general, as the timing could not have been more perfect. A loud rumbling began to shake the walls around them as the Republic army arrived. Grievous stomped his foot into the ground and let out a rumbling cry. He started to reach towards Satine, but she was faster. She dropped a flash bomb and rushed out of the doorway as it detonated. She left Grievous surrounded in a bright fog, cursing and coughing bitterly.

Once in the open, Satine could see the Republic forces organized in the jungle. She activated her jetpack and hovered in the air waiting for Grievous to explode out of the lingering smoke. He looked up at Satine and bellowed as she shrugged and pushed a button on her gauntlet.

Explosions erupted throughout the camp in a satisfying cascade. Satine observed with no small amount of stoic delight that the battle droid carrying her charge had not gotten far before the explosive had detonated. She shouted back down at the cyborg general as he stood there wheezing in his fury.

“Hey Grievous, you might want to have that cough looked at.”

Then Satine flew off towards the blooming battle towards the jungles. Some of the clone troopers had started to force their way into the encampment, but Satine continued to speed overhead to check in with the Jedi. She found Obi-wan in the heart of the fighting, all but surrounded by super battle droids. She shot the droids from behind with a flurry of small tracking missiles and landed by their battered exoskeletons. She walked through the rubble towards Obi-wan and said playfully,

“You’re welcome.”

Obi-wan raised an eyebrow at her and sighed,

“Oh, I had everything under control.”

Satine raised her blaster and fired two quick shots over Obi-wan’s shoulder. He tensed and turned to see two battle droids fall to the ground, fresh blaster holes smoking in each head. Satine spun her blaster, shoving it into her holster with her practiced motion and said with a smile,

“I was beginning to wonder if you’d got my message.”

Obi-wan opened his mouth to make a retort, but his commlink began to buzz and a voice rang out,

“General, we need support on the left flank! We’re being overrun.”

Satine nodded to Obi-wan before he could even ask. He responded to Cody as Satine flew up and over to help. She helped Cody regain control of his sector and flew off to help another group of overwhelmed clones. Anakin gave her a small salute as she passed on her way to help Rex’s battalion. When he caught up, Anakin grinned at Satine and yelled over to her as they stood back to back while demolishing the attacking droids.

“Good job handling Grievous. My Master won’t admit it, but we were both glad to see you get out of there alive.”

Satine was a little distracted from giving Anakin’s spinning lightsaber a wide berth, but she managed a response.

“He is rather set in his ways, isn’t he?”

“Yes, but he’ll come around.”

“It’s ok. I can understand where he is coming from.”

Anakin gave her a glance over his shoulder as his comms device began to buzz. He raised his wrist, answering the call. The voice cut off Anakin before he could even acknowledge the transmission.

“Sir, it’s Cody. General Kenobi and his squad have been cut off from the rest of the troops. It looks like one of the cannons survived the explosions and they’re about to . . .”

Satine didn’t hear the rest of Cody’s message as a faint panic began to creep around her practiced battle-calm.

A soft, “no. . .” escaped from her lips and she immediately took off into the air to find him.

It was her job to take down the heavy weapons and somehow, she had failed. One had survived, and that one was about to claim the lives of Obi-wan and his men. Satine pushed her jetpack to its limit until her target came into view. The scene made Satine cold with fury and dread. The clones were mostly dead; all but one or two were moving and barely able to stand. Obi-wan was standing in a clearing dodging the cannon’s blasts while trying to draw fire away from his wounded men, but he was slowing. Satine rushed the canon and launched a cable to wrap around the barrel. She flew by and braced as the line grew taught as the cannon became akin to an anchor. She had managed to swing the barrel a few meters to the side before the canon lurched, firing and missing the clearing completely, instead demolishing a nearby cluster of giant fern-covered boulders. Satine flew around the canon again and pulled the barrel further away from Obi-wan.

She flew over the canon and dropped in three charges – an excessive amount, perhaps, but she was bitter about missing this one the first time. Making her way out of the blast radius, Satine landed back inside the Separatist camp behind the temporary blockade the troopers had erected sometime during the battle. She watched the canon explode, then turned to find Obi-wan again.

Commander Cody had arrived with a small evac shuttle and picked up Obi-wan and the injured troopers. They flew towards Satine and, to her surprise, Obi-wan and Cody jumped out and landed behind the blockade with her. Obi-wan stormed up to Satine and shouted,

“You could have ruined this entire assault! My men wouldn’t have had to die if you weren’t so careless!”

Satine stood there in shock, thinking through her motions from the night before. She grew frustrated and growled back.

“I did hit everything. That canon was not there last night. I’m sure of it.” She shook her head and whispered,

“I was sure of it. . .”

A trooper suddenly inserted himself between Obi-wan and Satine and said sternly,

“Sir, she is correct. This particular canon was brought out after we pushed into this base. It was hidden and Shae could not have known it had existed, no one knew.”

Obi-wan looked at the trooper and his expression shifted, the anger melting away and leaving him looking crestfallen and suddenly very, very tired. He nodded to the trooper and said,

“Thank you, Waxer.”

He rubbed his forehead for a moment before glancing at Satine and addressing her.

I am sorry, Shae. I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything.”

Satine took a small step towards him and paused.

“I’m sorry your men died. I should have gotten there sooner.” 

Obi-wan looked as if he was deciding how to respond, but confusion overtook his weary expression. He spoke softly.

“Something is wrong.”

Satine caught the motion behind Obi-wan before the words had even left his mouth. Without thinking, she rushed forward and threw herself between Obi-wan and the grenade. Commander Cody had the same gut reaction, so he was level with Satine as the blast hit them. Together, they effectively shielded everyone behind them, but the barricades themselves were demolished. Her head ringing, Satine tried to sit up but was unable to find her balance and staggered back into the ground. Numbly, she noticed Cody by her side, armor charred and just as dazed. Obi-wan appeared to be shouting towards them, but no sound accompanied the motions of his mouth. The Jedi looked up and activated his lightsaber with a frustrated flourish.

Blaster bolts hailed over her head as the droids had regrouped and began another attempt to expel the Republic forces from their camp. Out of the corner of her eye, she vaguely registered Cody’s lower half lurching backwards, towards the Separatist forces, a large battle droid was dragging him away. Then the world around her reeled as a droid grabbed her by her collar and dragged her away with Cody. Satine tried to struggle, but it only made the pounding in her head worse. The ground became cold and slick and Satine idly realized she had been dragged into a ship of some kind. She heard odd laughter that ended with a wheezy cough. Satine rolled her head over to look at General Grievous as he struck her with a metallic hand and everything went black.

Obi-wan had watched helplessly as droids dragged off his clone commander and the Mandalorian. He despised even the idea of retreating with Waxer and his men, feeling like he was abandoning the duo who had just taken a grenade for him.

Heart heavy, Obi-wan hailed Anakin to regroup at the rallying point. Anakin glanced over Obi-wan’s ashen robes and his battered men and asked,

“Obi-wan, where are the others? Are you ok?”

Obi-wan looked up at Anakin oddly and spoke plainly.

“Cody and Shae shielded us from a grenade. Then Grievous took them.”

“Took them? Were they alive?”

“Yes.”

Captain Rex muscled through with a medic, who began scanning Obi-wan, despite his grumbling. Rex spoke up eagerly,

“Sir, then we have to go get them back.”

Anakin put up a hand.

“Easy, Rex. We need to hear everything that happened.”

Obi-wan spoke up suddenly, the cold tone of his voice surprising even himself.

“Oh, we are getting them back, and I know _exactly_ where to find them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Your comments and kudos are always appreciated.


	7. Prisoners of War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Jedi are on a mission to rescue their captured comrades from the fiendish droid leader, General Grievous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was so humbled when this little story of mine made 50 kudos and 1000 hits with my last update! I wanted to thank everyone for their support and kind reviews 😊 They have been little bright waypoints during the never-ending bombardment that is nursing school. 
> 
> I know it has been a little while since my last update, but this turned out to be a long, but important, chapter. I did go ahead and upgrade to mature as well. The intensity ups a bit situationally, and if I didn’t up it now, the next couple of chapters absolutely would have . . . ahem . . . forced my hand. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

A small Republic dropship rumbled softly as it darted over the Felucian jungle. Obi-wan was leaning into the cockpit, halfheartedly helping the pilot navigate with his handheld tracking unit. In reality, his so-called aid was more smothering than actual assistance, but he had been so relieved when the homing device he had hurled at Grievous’s ship had landed squarely on the hull amidst the surrounding firefight. Once the transponder picked up the signal, he had clung to it like a lifeline, refusing to let the Separatist General get away with abducting his loyal Commander. And, despite his reservations, he was equally haunted and perplexed by Shae’s actions to protect him. Considering her actions to trick Grievous and destroy his base, Obi-wan struggled to avoid thoughts of what Grievous could be doing to her in that moment. Though he could not understand--or, more precisely, refused to acknowledge--the emotions she stirred within him, there was something familiar about this Mandalorian woman that he just could not put a finger on. He was starting to trust her, regardless of his fervent resistance of the idea. 

Anakin read the other emotions playing out on the ship. Captain Rex was setting up some heavy artillery in the corner muttering something about “showing the Seppies a good time.” The clones they had brought for backup were glancing between their Captain and Jedi Generals, fidgeting at the obvious tension. After watching his Master insert himself in the pilot’s business for long enough, Anakin put a hand on his shoulder and turned him away from the cockpit.

“Obi-wan, give the tracker to the pilot. Let him do his job so we can focus on ours. We need to go over our plan.”

The older Jedi sighed, nodding in agreement. Reluctantly, he turned to hand the transponder to the pilot and let Anakin go over the plan one more time.

* * *

When Satine woke, the distinct musky odor of damp soil and the metallic tang of blood were lingering deep within her nostrils, having spread to the back of her throat while she had been unconscious. Clearing her throat as she moved into a seated position, she fought the bounding pain that continued to grow behind her eyes. She was just glad the movement didn’t send her reeling this time. Feeling her helmet carefully, she realized it had been knocked askew, breaking the filtration seal. Now was not the time to thoroughly assess her injuries, so Satine straightened her helmet and fiddled with the base until the seal reengaged with a reassuring hum.

A quick examination of her surroundings revealed a dark cave with high ceilings that were littered with an array of beautifully dangerous stalactites. They dripped occasionally, and the pitter-pattering of water droplets echoed around the little alcove until it was interrupted by a moaning sound at her back. Satine turned as quickly as she could manage, only to find Commander Cody stirring behind her. Noting his lack of weapons, Satine quickly reached down to realize she was pawing at empty holsters and slots at her belt. Her gauntlets had been neutralized, as well as her helmet, but at least some of the vital systems like her filtration system had been operating on her backup power source.

Shuffling across the damp ground towards Cody’s prostrate form, Satine finally spotted the boundary of their cage, which lay in the shadows behind the clone Commander. Reinforced metal bars ran seamlessly from floor to ceiling, appearing strangely out of place in their unadorned subterranean prison. Further back, a large plain metal door was set into the stone wall with a small light that bathed everything in a subtle warm glow. Satine reached Cody and shook him awake while whispering his name. He groaned again as Satine pulled him onto her lap and lifted off his helmet to check him over. Cody’s face was sweaty and smudged with bits of grime. A small dried trail of blood had streaked from one of his nostrils, but no other bruising was evident. Squinting up at her, Cody grimaced and started to sit up while trying to support his head with one hand. Starting to come to terms with their situation, Cody looked to Satine,

“Shae? Where are we? Are you ok? I remember. . .” His eyes lost focus for a moment, then snapped back up to her as their last noble act came back to his mind.

“General Kenobi!” Satine placed a hand on the worried clone’s shoulder and spoke to calm him.

“ _Udesiir, vod_. The last I saw, he was fighting the Separatists quite fiercely.”

He took a breath and stood up gingerly, offering a hand to Satine. She shook her head.

“Not yet, I must have sprained my knee when I landed. I’m still stretching it out. Can you take a look over there and see what we’re dealing with?” She gestured at the evidence of her captivity and Cody complied, wandering over to the bars. He felt the cool metal and shook his head.

“Sir, this durasteel looks impenetrable. We can’t get out of this without help, or a lightsaber.” He paused, looking further back down the wall towards the door. “I see our weapons. They’re just out of reach.”

He gave a slow whistle and Satine asked anxiously,

“What is it?”

Cody turned back to Satine with a bemused expression and chuckled.

“Do you really carry all of those?”

Satine forced out a short laugh despite herself, smiling through the pain.

“I’m a Mandalorian, weapons are my religion.”

Cody laughed again and sat down against the wall opposite Satine. He offered,

“Do you want me to take a look?” He waved vaguely towards her helmet and Satine shook her head.

“No, we need to focus on getting out of here.” Satine did indeed feel pain radiating out from a few regions of her body, primarily from her skull, but her small med-pack had been removed with her weapons; all she could do was cope. Cody studied Satine for a moment and offered,

“If it helps, General Kenobi is probably on his way to get us right now.”

“You believe that?”

“We don’t leave any man behind.”

Satine considered this. The clone seemed fiercely loyal to Obi-wan.

“It sounds like you respect him.”

“Of course, sir. General Kenobi is the strongest man I know. Dying for him would be my highest honor.”

Satine lowered her gaze, mumbling,

“Clearly, he has that effect on everyone.”

“Sir?” Cody sounded unsure of what he had heard her say, so she offered an alternative remark.

“Clearly you would, Cody. You just took a blast for him.”

“So did you, sir.”

Satine blinked, now at a loss for words. Silence settled over the pair for a short while until it was broken by a loud clanging behind the mysterious door to their cave. It suddenly slid open and a lanky, wheezing figure stalked into the room. Grievous was followed closely by two of his menacing MagnaGuard droids. Cody struggled to his feet and stood in front of Satine, attempting to settle into a fighting stance, but it wasn’t convincing. She hissed at him to move away from her as Grievous opened their cage and strode inside. He swatted Cody aside and lifted Satine up by her throat as if she weighed nothing.

The MagnaGuards moved into the cell and one pointed his staff at Cody; it crackled as it turned on in a purple spatter of light and the droid shoved the illuminated end into Cody’s stomach. His body curled around it with a shout and Satine flinched at the sound, trying to turn her head to see if he was ok. Grievous backhanded her, turning her head back to face him. He growled at Satine with satisfaction.

“I told you I would make you pay for your insolence.”

Satine laughed weakly through his grip and Grievous hummed with displeasure.

“I’m glad you find this funny, bounty hunter. You won’t for long.”

Satine gritted her teeth and spat out a retort.

“It’s just…insolence? That’s a pretty big word.”

In a way of reply, Grievous threw her to the ground and yelled at one of his guards as he stalked away.

“Take her!”

The guard turned and grabbed Satine by her collar. She struggled pointlessly for a moment then looked to Cody. He was picking himself up from the ground again, staggering after her. The bars closed in his face as he yelled out.

“Just hold on as long as you can! They’re coming for us!”

Satine wished she had Cody’s resolve in that belief. But still, deep inside, there was a small part of her that wanted to believe--that _did_ believe--the Jedi was coming for them.

* * *

Electricity coursed through Satine again, and this time a scream tore itself from her raw throat despite her efforts to bite it back. Grievous laughed, smug, as he listened to the pain made manifest in her voice. He taunted her.

“There it is, the sound of your suffering. I knew you would be easy to break.”

Satine remained otherwise silent, trying to catch her breath. She refused to give Grievous any more satisfaction that she already had. Another shock pulsed through her stasis prison and Satine’s body went rigid from the current until the searing pain simply disappeared and she collapsed into her shackles, settling into them a little lower than she had before. Her teeth were even starting to ache from the effort it took to remain silent. Grievous made a small annoyed sound and Satine croaked out,

“I’m never going to talk.”

Grievous chuckled harshly in response.

“I don’t need you to talk. The clone officer we took was the real bait. You are only here for my entertainment.”

Satine grimaced and said softly,

“Bait?”

Grievous hummed with pleasure again.

“Exactly. Jedi are so predictable. They can never resist a good rescue mission. Soon Kenobi and Skywalker will be within my grasp.”

Satine hated that was so right. Obi-wan and Anakin _would_ come for them, as surely as the sun would set and rise again the next morning. Grievous paced around her prison coughing impatiently.

“I think it’s time to take off that helmet. I want to watch the life leave your eyes when I crush it out of you.”

Satine began to retreat into the depths of her mind, preparing herself for the inevitable as the General approached, wheezing with each heavy step. Her thoughts shifted to Obi-wan and how she would never see him again, how he would never know she was alive. Worse still, she feared he would discover her body after Grievous had finished her off, realizing too late she had been hiding in plain sight all this time.

She just wanted to be in his arms one last time. Regardless of her training and his, of their history, and of their bitter parting those many years ago, she wanted _him_ —and it seemed that now she was to die long before that want could ever be fulfilled.

 _I’m so sorry Obi-wan,_ she thought. Grievous leaned in close, starting to lift his stark metal hand towards Satine’s head. In a last act of defiance, Satine rocked as much as her confinement would allow and whipped her head forward to head-butt the Kaleesh General, connecting solidly with his smooth bone-like mask. Her head exploded in pain and lights danced emphatically before her eyes, her vision blurring with grey static briefly before settling back into focus. Grievous staggered back a small step in surprise, giving his head a quick shake between intensifying wheezes. He bellowed loudly at Satine in fury before pulling his arm back and striking Satine squarely in her stomach.

Air exploded from her lungs, leaving her gasping in surprise.

Grievous seemed to be readying himself for another strike but stopped, swiveling his head to stare across the room towards the large reinforced door, his head canted in apparent consternation as he glared knowingly at the door. Faint though they were—Satine almost missed the sound between the painful gasps of her own breaths—shrieks of blaster fire now echoed outside of her torture chamber, picking up in intensity briefly before dying away as the commotion slowed and the scuffle yielded its victor. Staring at the door as it flew open, Satine tried to focus her hazy mind on the sight before her. Standing in the doorway was none other than Obi-wan Kenobi, blazing blue lightsaber at the ready, and just as battle-worn as she had left him. His voice was even music to her ears.

He had come for her.

“Let her go, Grievous.”

“Ah, General Kenobi. What a surprise.”

“We really need to stop meeting like this. I think it’s high time I just finished you off.”

“You will lose, Kenobi. There is nothing for you to negotiate here.”

Obi-wan smiled ruefully and said with a shrug,

“I wasn’t planning to.”

Grievous let out another angry bellow and charged the Jedi. Before Grievous could approach him, Obi-wan reached out and made a motion towards the control panel across the room. The controls moved as he used the Force to manipulate them. Suddenly, Satine’s prison powered down and she collapsed to the ground, her shackles popping off of each limb. She lifted her upper body from the ground and looked to find Obi-wan. His actions to save Satine had cost him the upper hand and Grievous was able to close the gap between them. She watched numbly as the cybernetic General collided with Obi-wan, tossing him to the ground and knocking his lightsaber out of his hand.

Obi-wan rolled away and Grievous followed, stepping quickly to pin his robes to the ground. Obi-wan cried out as one of Grievous’s claws scratched into the side of his ribcage. He lifted his other foot and placed it threateningly on top of Obi-wan’s chest, chuckling at the Jedi squirming at his feet.

“Finally, the end of General Kenobi. That wasn’t so hard.”

Grievous selected a lightsaber hilt from inside his robe and let it slide from his shoulders to the ground behind him. He powered up the saber, which glowed green, and lifted his arm to strike down Obi-wan. Obi-wan tried to use the force to dislodge Grievous, but his foot was planted deep into the solid dirt floor, effectively anchoring Obi-wan in place. Running out of ideas, he tried to calm his mind and an easy plan began to form, but a pained cry jolted him from his thoughts and an armored mass collided with Grievous.

Finding the strength deep within herself, Satine had wobbled to her feet and ran as fast as she could towards Grievous. Between the pain and desperation, Satine let loose a raw cry--which also serviced to distract her target--and she collided with him to land in a heavy heap of armor and metal limbs. Somehow, she had managed to dislodge Grievous and they had landed far enough away from Obi-wan that he was quickly getting back to his feet.

Grievous and Satine scuffed for a moment until she could land a lucky kick to his head. But Grievous lashed out in return and Satine heard the sound of ripping cloth, which was accompanied by a burning line of ice that traveled down the side of her thigh. A cold sweat gripped her entire body. She continued to haul herself away, but her ears caught a scuffle behind her and she looked up to see Grievous following her, gaining ground with each clunking step.

Weakness crept deeper into her core as she noticed one of his arms was dripping with bright red blood.

Trying to pull herself even further away from the cybernetic General, Satine came face to face with Obi-wan’s rich brown leather boots. He stepped around Satine and stood firmly between her and Grievous, a curiously stern expression on his face. His voice was surprisingly calm as he addressed the General.

“That’s enough Grievous. This time, you lose.”

Using both of his hands, Obi-wan pushed them towards the General, effort carving deeply into his face. Grievous hurtled across the room and slammed into the far wall. With a growl and a cough, Grievous flipped himself over onto the ground on all fours and scuttled across the back of the chamber until he came to a small side door. It slid open, and Grievous fled into the tunnel.

After the door slid shut, Obi-wan turned to look at Satine. She had propped herself up against a table and was gripping her leg tightly with one hand. He crouched down and carefully pried her trembling hand from the wound. Satine looked down and groaned.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

Blood was flowing steadily from the wide gash, which traveled nearly the entire length of her thigh. If the blow had landed a few more centimeters higher, her thigh plates would have taken nearly all the damage. Satine reached around and started tugging at her tattered kama1, but Obi-wan tried to stop her.

“Shae, stop moving, I need to tie a tourniquet around your leg first.”

She motioned for her kama again, ripping off a few long strips and handing them to the Jedi.

“That’s what I was getting.”

“Oh.”

A faint blush crept up Obi-wan’s neck as he set to work. His hands slid the first strip carefully up and around her thigh. He lingered awkwardly as he moved very close to the junction where her leg met her hip. But Obi-wan moved more purposely as he glanced back at her wound. Satine would have been blushing along with him if she didn’t feel so cold, but she tried to distract the Jedi as he worked.

“We have to get Cody. I know where he is.”

Obi-wan glanced up at her for the briefest of moments, then focused his eyes back down towards her leg, starting to wrap what he could with a second strip of fabric.

“Anakin went to go find Cody. I imagine they will catch up to us soon.”

He continued tying down her wound but took a slow breath, his face growing tired—just like when he had yelled at her on the battlefield before her capture. Satine had to resist the urge to cup his face and tell him everything would be ok. Instead, she stayed silent, surprised when Obi-wan was the one who continued talking.

“I…I wanted to thank you for what you did. You could have been killed, yet you didn’t even hesitate…”

Satine flinched as he tightened the last strip. She looked over to inspect his handiwork and her wound was well covered, but blood continued to seep through the make-shift bandages. Feeling her heart rate begin to increase and unnatural fatigue settle over her, Satine took one long look into his deep blue eyes and sighed.

“Obi-wan…I have something to tell you.”

A small frown creased his brow as he pondered this statement and the way she had said it. Satine shifted her position and stifled a groan at the discomfort from the movement. Obi-wan quickly leaned back in to place his hands on Satine’s leg and inspect the bandages again, just as a playful voice rang out from the doorway.

“Master, you know we can always come back for you two if you’re busy.”

The older Jedi rolled his eyes, to Satine’s amusement, and stood to find Anakin waiting for them. He was supporting Commander Cody under one arm. Obi-wan walked over to his Commander and placed a hand on his good shoulder.

“It’s good to see you, Cody. Are you alright?”

“Of course, sir. I’m ready to get back to the action.”

“I’m sure you are, Cody, but you know that is not going to happen.”

“I figured it was worth a shot, sir.”

Obi-wan smiled at the jest and walked back to Satine, addressing Anakin over his shoulder.

“What took you so long? I assumed you had gotten lost.”

Anakin snorted, defending himself.

“I made great time, Obi-wan. Cody was the one who had wanted to grab every piece of someone’s small arsenal. I had to almost empty my pack to fit everything”

All eyes swiveled onto Satine. She blanched even further under her helmet from the attention and started to feel herself begin to fade, eyes glazing as the room slowly dropped away. Her retort died on her lips and the others adopted looks of concern as they realized she wasn’t going to answer, not from any form of embarrassment or spite—because she simply did not have the strength to speak.

Obi-wan crouched down and slipped his head under one of Satine’s arms. He wrapped one arm around her back and the other he slid carefully under her legs, lifting her up to settle high against his chest. He nodded to the others.

“Let’s go.”

* * *

Satine had let her mind wander for a moment, but came back to the realization she was being cradled against Obi-wan’s chest. She gazed up at him, groaning inwardly at the irony of the thought that she had been in this exact position all of those years ago. Secretly, she let her thoughts dwell on the Jedi. She sighed,

“Oh, Obi…”

Satine had thought she said it subconsciously, but it must have slipped out of her mouth because Obi-wan slowed for a moment and dropped his gaze to the Mandalorian cradled in his arms. A very odd look crossed his face as he caught up with the group.

Light shined on them as they finally made their leave of the damp subterranean labyrinth and entered into the middle of a firefight to control the entrance. Their evacuation shuttle dropped out of the sky and everyone filed on board as the ship’s turrets laid down suppressive fire. Anakin helped sit Cody down and Obi-wan laid Satine against the wall. A medic immediately swooped down on her with bacta infusions and stims and Obi-wan took the opportunity to give new orders to the pilot. They were to return to his cruiser, as he had a feeling he was going to want to keep Shae close.

After receiving his report from the clone pilot, Obi-wan turned around to observe the wounded Mandalorian propped up against the hold of his gunship. Blood was still weeping from the wound on her leg as the clone medic worked to stabilize her long enough to get her to a proper med bay. She was still stubbornly refusing to remove her helm to allow the clone to assess for the concussion that she already suspected she had. Obi-wan evaluated her gently with the force and was concerned to feel her strength fading, but…he also felt something else, something old and familiar lingering deep within her. Suspicion crept deeper into his mind, a suspicion that he still could not bear to accept. Obi-wan crouched down next to her, reaching out slowly with his hand, but he pulled back, hesitation writ into every line on his face.

“Who are you?”

His voice was soft, almost a whisper – as if breathing a prayer. Satine turned her visor towards him slowly, letting her helmet scrape weakly against the wall with her movement. She vaguely noticed every set of eyes on the transport were trained upon them both and pushed them from her awareness. Satine focused solely on Obi-wan and desperately mustered the remnants of her fading strength. She didn’t want an audience, but she was running out of time and knew what had to be done. Lifting a trembling hand, she reached up towards Obi-wan’s face, just barely brushing his cheek. As her hand fell, Obi-wan caught it and squeezed between his hands tightly. Fatigue was pressing down on Satine, her words fading as she spoke.

“Oh, Obi. At least . . . you didn’t drop me . . . this time.”

Obi-wan’s breath caught in his chest and his grip tightened on her hand as he replayed an old memory, one that he could never forget. The memory of the day he carried a beautiful young Duchess to safety from a nest of venom-mites, and had immediately and gracelessly fallen, dropping said Duchess. He had given her a lasting scar as a memento, as well as an excuse for her to tease him until the day he had gone, leaving her in his wake as was his Jedi way. 

Everything fell into place; her Mandalorian lineage, her abrupt change of heart, the familiar warmth he felt every time she seemed to be looking his way, the pain in her voice as she threw herself into the line of fire to protect him time and time again.

Memories of their first encounter on Florrum flashed before his eyes as his mind raced, turning over each and every small, singular clue that he had failed to piece together until this moment – her non-lethal tactics, her begging for him to leave her in peace, and (unspoken but always present) the way she felt under his legs as he pinned her to the ground. He couldn’t let himself hope or dare to believe it, but every fiber in his being knew who he would find under that helmet. He had grieved for her every day for as long as he could remember, but somehow, this knowing-unknowing anticipation was even worse than believing her dead.

His voice was uneasy as he muttered,

“It can’t be. . .”

The trooper medic finished his work on Satine and moved back at the sight of Obi-wan’s dazed expression. Satine continued to stare at Obi-wan through her visor and nodded to him, encouraging Obi-wan to gently release her hand and place his on each side of her helmet. He closed his eyes and paused to steel himself.

Anakin took a small step towards Obi-wan and asked,

“Master?”

Obi-wan did not appear to hear his old apprentice, instead he opened his eyes and carefully pulled Satine’s helmet off to reveal her dirty and battered face. Satine’s eyes blinked weakly as they gazed upon each other, bound together in their silence, and a small smile crossed her face. Moments slipped by before Satine finally succumbed to unconsciousness, slowly slipping off the wall and towards the floor of the transport. Obi-wan reached out and eased her down to the floor, cradling her head until the medic provided some bandages to place underneath her as a cushion. He looked to the medic.

“How is she?”

“Sir, I was able to stop the bleeding and the bacta infusion is starting to work, but she has lost a lot of blood. We should be able to stabilize her once we get her to a med bay.”

Obi-wan thanked him and rubbed his forehead as he stood, mind racing. And as if on cue, the pilot announced their arrival at the flagship. The bay doors of the gunship hissed open to reveal waiting soldiers with stretchers. They came aboard and loaded Cody onto a stretcher and Obi-wan picked up Satine to place her onto the second stretcher himself, not truly wanting to let go of her ever again. Anakin walked up to Obi-wan as they watched Satine and Cody get whisked away to the med bay. He looked to his Master again.

“Obi-wan, what just happened?”

A deep frown furrowed Obi-wan’s brow as he continued to stroke his chin. He sighed softly and glanced at Anakin as he finally responded.

“I just found a ghost from my past.”

Translations:

Udesiir: relax, take it easy, calm down, find respite

Vod (pl. -e): brother, sister, comrade

\--

1Kama – A resilient, kilt-like, flexible leather armor worn from the waist. A traditional part of Mandalorian culture, these were adopted by clone troopers through the influence of Jango Fett. A kama is worn by Captain Rex of the 501st Legion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! As always, your kudos, feedback, and reviews mean so much 😊 With school, I don’t really have the time to respond to everyone’s comments, but I appreciate each and every one. 
> 
> I was kind of missing writing for my favorite space pirate, since he hasn’t really been in the last few chapters, so I found the opportunity to make a nod to one of my favorite moments from The Clone Wars--which featured dear old Hondo. I hope somebody finds it 😉 He’ll be back soon!


	8. Wait for Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a couple of busy weeks with multiple exams and work, so that did slow me down, but I enjoyed taking the time to write this chapter when I could. 
> 
> You guys may have noticed a few changes. I upped the rating, again, and *spoiler alert* reworked my tags. If anyone can think of any tags I'm missing, feel free to leave them in the comments :) I have also just accepted my chapters are getting longer now. The encouragement from everyone has definitely been helping with my inspiration. 
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and comments. They do mean so much!

The first thing Satine saw when she woke was a large syringe and needle hovering in front of her face, the stark metal head of a medical droid a dull blur in the background. Panic gripped her body as her brain registered the sight before her, and she desperately tried to muddle through the medically induced fog that permeated her brain. Scrambling off the bed, she all but collapsed as pain exploded across her body at the touch of her feet against the cool med bay floor. Her body felt unnaturally light, and her mind spiraled further into overdrive as she reached for armor that was not there. Groaning, she finally started breaking through the groggy anesthesia, realization and her memories trickled steadily back into her mind.

The droid addressed Satine coolly with a garbling mechanical drone.

“Please return to your bay. You have several ongoing treatments that should not be interrupted. I will have to restrain you if you do not comply.”

Satine growled at the droid.

“Restrain this.” And she shoved the droid back against the wall with a loud crash.

Looking down at her body, Satine saw the treatments that the droid had mentioned. Hands shaking, she ripped off the sensors and bacta tubes dotted across her body. A large bacta-filled cuff encased her injured thigh and she unstrapped it, draining it onto the floor to reveal a long bumpy bandage which ran from hip to knee. Luckily, she noted, they had placed some underwear on her, but she felt so exposed she might as well have been naked—though wearing regular clothes would have incited a similar sensation, her armor was all she had felt comfortable in for over a decade.

Two clones burst into the room wearing regular uniforms. They stopped in the doorway, staring at the bizarre sight before them. Satine stood unsteadily, grasping both at the table and at the medical equipment covering herself. She was dripping with bacta and her lean body was mottled with many multi-color bruises and even more bandages. Her medical droid was partially wedged into a large dent in the cabinets, twitching indignantly behind its patient. She turned her attention to the clones and they glanced at each other, frankly worried about what would happen next. Satine tried to catch her breath before she could address them.

“Where…is…my armor?”

They both pointed towards a crate in the corner of the room. Satine limped over towards it and punched the button that opened the lid. Relief washed over Satine as her beskar appeared before her. She pushed another button and the crate closed with a hiss and lifted itself off of the ground to follow her as she limped out of the med bay.

As she entered into the next room, the clones caught up with her and one of them reached for her hesitantly.

“Sir, please, you really need to lie back down.”

Satine ignored his hand and kept shuffling towards the door. She spied a pile of plain robes on a nearby shelf and took a quick detour over to grab one for herself before making her way out into the hall. One of the clones shouted after her,

“Sir, where are you going?”

“I’m going…to my ship.”

Back at the doorway, the clones exchanged another nervous glance, watching Satine and her lengthening trail of bacta down the hallway.

“Are you going after her?”

“I’m not going anywhere near her.”

“Fine. Go inform General Kenobi and I’ll get some help.”

* * *

In the end, it was Commander Cody who found Satine. He was already near the med bay, having just left one of his mandated post-concussion check-ups. Once he received the frantic call reporting her departure, he immediately knew where she would go.

Rounding the corner leading to Satine’s hangar, Cody finally located his quarry. Satine was still making her way down the hallway leaning on her crate for support. Cody was impressed at how much distance she had covered in her condition. As her line of sight settled onto The Sparrow’s Wing, Satine finally dropped to her knees, her face twisting at the impact. Cody slowly walked around her and said,

“Sir, please come back to the med bay. You need more time to heal.”

Satine lifted her head and studied the face of the clone standing in front of her. Some relief came with the fact she recognized Cody was the one who had caught up to her, then the guilt quickly followed. She looked at him sadly.

“I just want to get to my ship, Cody. I feel so…exposed.”

“Satine, we only want to help you. After what you did for us on Felucia, you have all of our respect and gratitude.”

“But I lied to you. I’m so sorry, Cody.”

“I know. But even though you had good reason to stay hidden, you risked everything to help us. Everyone on that shuttle was sworn to secrecy, your secret is still safe.” He reached out to help Satine to her feet. “Just stay a little longer so you don’t keep reopening that wound.”

Satine glanced down to realize he was talking about her mangled thigh. Her bandage was now stained red and thin trails of blood were snaking down her leg to pool on the floor. By now, a herd of troopers had rounded the corner behind Satine, but Cody waved them back. She finally reached up to grab Cody’s hand and he helped to hoist her up from the ground. Begrudgingly, she turned around with Cody’s support to return to the med bay and smiled at the sight of the assembled troopers.

“Are all of those for me? Cody, I’m flattered.”

Cody chuckled in response.

“Well, sir, you seemed to have made quite the impression upon your departure from the medical wing.” Cody waved off the troopers and they turned, charging back the way they came.

Finally, Obi-wan appeared in their wake, rushing over to Satine’s side.

“Oh Satine, what were you thinking? I’m taking you back.”

Satine glanced towards Cody, who gave an encouraging nod before she turned to take Obi-wan’s hand. Instead, he bent down as if to cradle carry her again and she balked at the motion.

“No. I can walk.”

Obi-wan frowned at her insistence to do everything herself; apparently some things didn’t change—and Satine’s sense of pride was decidedly one of those things. She tried taking a step, only to slide back towards the ground. Obi-wan sighed, picking her up despite her protestations and let her squirm in frustration until she finally resigned herself to her fate.

Her awkward movements within Obi-wan’s grasp had jostled her robe open, exposing her side from shoulder to hip. Being so close to her bare skin, Obi-wan found himself glancing down at Satine’s body—the muscular definition of her arm, the firm, smooth skin of her abdomen, and the welcoming curve of her breast. An obvious flush blossomed across his face, and to his dismay, his lower body was suffused by a warmth he had not felt for many long years. Satine caught Obi-wan’s wandering gaze, smiling haughtily as she slowly slid her robe back into place. Trying to avoid Cody’s knowing smile, Obi-wan quickly walked back to the med bay with his ever-so-frustrating patient in arms.

Obi-wan set Satine back down onto her bed. She was already starting to drift asleep. The Jedi spoke softly with one of the clones tasked with supervising Satine before leaning back down to address her directly.

“Satine, just relax. They are going to put you asleep again for a little while. Something went wrong with your sedation before and you woke up too soon…”

Her response was sleepy.

“Will you be here when I wake up?”

“I’ll try, Satine…”

He paused as sleep had already claimed her, her hand still gently clasping one of his sleeves. Obi-wan pulled his sleeve free, carefully rearranged her arms, and covered her with a blanket. Hesitating, Obi-wan reached down to tenderly tuck a few of Satine’s stray hairs behind her ear before turning and leaving her to rest.

* * *

When Satine woke again, she was feeling much more like herself. She was both equally disappointed and relieved to find Obi-wan and his men were currently engaged in an assault on Umbara. Regardless of her personal feelings, their absence allowed for a much smoother venture to return to her own ship. Satine pushed back the guilt from leaving, but she wanted some time to finish healing on her own. No one had tried to stop her as she boarded her ship and slipped away into the depths of space.

Florrum appeared before Satine as her ship dropped out of hyperspace. She was surprised to feel some comfort at the sight of her makeshift home. And a smile found its way to her lips as Hondo himself hailed her comms.

“Mando! Is it really you?”

“Yes, Hondo, I’m back.”

“Ha! I knew it! Though I must admit, I was starting to worry, I thought you’d be back days ago.”

“I know, and I’m sorry for the delay. I’ll explain everything when I land.”

“Of course, my dear. I’ll be waiting.”

Satine cut the call with a sigh. She hated showing weakness, she had been rigorously trained to never display even the slightest hint of the undesirable quality. And yet, it felt like she had spent the majority of her trip forced to her knees before the Jedi and the entire Republic Army. When Satine had donned her armor in the safety of hyperspace, she had fastened a brace for her leg and cinched everything down as tightly as she possibly could—so tightly, that it was quite the noisy affair. The brace hardly improved her gait, but allowed her to bear her own weight. Even so, as she descended her ship’s ramp towards the pirate stronghold, it only took the first hint of the tiniest wobble for Hondo to come swooping down upon Satine, fussing over her like a worried mother Loth cat.

Despite his fretting, Satine managed to silence the loquacious captain with two words:

“He knows.”

Hondo stopped talking immediately. He tilted his head, leaning in to squint at Satine curiously.

“And…?”

“And what, Hondo?”

He adjusted his goggles with a smirk.

“I don’t know. Shouldn’t you two be…catching up, or something?”

“He’s away fighting in another campaign. I needed some time to myself.”

Hondo glanced around before continuing with a softer voice.

“Satine, what happened to you?”

“I almost died protecting him. Twice.” Satine was even surprised to hear her own voice catch at the admission. The Weequay did his best to push the sympathy out of his voice.

“Oh, my dear. What do you need? We have just …ahem… acquired a rather large stash of medical supplies. You name it and it’s yours.”

“I appreciate that Hondo, but I’ve had all of the bacta and stims I can stand. I just need some time and some supplies to go out on my own for a while to train and regain some focus.” She gestured out into the Florrum wilderness as she spoke and Hondo nodded knowingly. 

“Come with me. I have just what you need.”

* * *

Obi-wan climbed out of his cockpit into the dusty Florrum landscape, fighting several conflicting emotions. He was mentally and physically drained from the Umbaran campaign, which had ended in betrayal and with many painfully unnecessary casualties. And, despite his drained state, his mind could not help but continually examine every last facet of Satine’s lengthy deception, trying to understand how she could possibly justify living in secret for such a long span. There had to be some other factor he had not considered, but learning of Satine’s sudden departure during his absence on the battlefront was one final hurt he could not endure. The news sat heavy in his mind, nagging him through the Jedi Council holocalls, battalion updates, and his other daily duties until he could not take it any longer. He had climbed into his long-range starfighter and left Cody in charge with the vaguest of excuses—though Obi-wan suspected Cody knew exactly where he was going.

Hondo was waiting for Obi-wan near his landing strip, wringing his hands nervously as the Jedi approached.

“Obi-wan! To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Obi-wan rubbed his temple, sighing at the Captain’s forced smile.

“Hondo, I have a feeling you already know why I am here.”

Hondo sniffed as he continued to address the stern Jedi.

“Ah, well I am afraid I do not know where she is.”

“What do you mean, ‘ _you don’t know_ ’? Satine’s ship is right there, Hondo. She is on Florrum.”

Hondo scratched his helmet with a shrug.

“Yes, she is on Florrum, I just don’t know _where_. She took a bike and some supplies to go train on her own for a while.”

“Well, when is she coming back?”

“Eh, she’s been gone for a few days, but I suspect she’ll be at least a few more.”

Obi-wan crossed his arms looking at Hondo suspiciously. Hondo quickly waved his arms in exasperation.

“Yes, I know there are many things I would lie to you about, but this is _not_ one of them.”

“That’s hardly reassuring, Captain.”

Hondo frowned. He pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it to the Jedi. Obi-wan caught it easily and examined the object in a stunned silence. It was a long bell-shaped flower carved out of a pale white species of wood. Despite making the connection instantly, Obi-wan found himself asking the Captain,

“Hondo, where did you get this?”

“Oh, Kenobi. You two may have been apart for a very long time, but I don’t think you truly ever left each other.”

Obi-wan frowned at Hondo’s insinuation, staring down at the likeness of the particular lily he had gifted to the young Duchess on several occasions in their youth, but stilled himself as an odd feeling drifted across his awareness. He gripped the carved flower tightly as he isolated the anomaly. It was distant, yet familiar enough he knew it was Satine. Hondo started chattering awkwardly again and Obi-wan lifted his free hand slightly to silence the Captain. Closing his eyes, he spoke softly.

“Hold on, Hondo…I feel something.”

As Obi-wan focused on her presence, that familiar feeling grew. It was definitely Satine, he could sense her determination and frustration very clearly. Opening his eyes, Obi-wan turned slightly, staring off across the vast plateaus in the direction he had felt Satine’s presence. He couldn’t find a trace of her for as far as his own eyes could see. He suppressed a shiver as he realized that he had never before been able to sense someone’s presence from so far away. It seemed as though they were destined to always find each other, as though The Force itself was guiding him into her path—and it was his prerogative to trust in the force.

Obi-wan turned back to see Hondo staring at him incredulously; the Weequay seemed to understand something significant had just happened. Obi-wan asked wearily,

“How much to use one of your speeders?”

Hondo waved his hand, a sly grin spreading across his face.

“It’s on the house.”

“You’re kidding.”

Hondo rolled his eyes and fluttered a hand in his direction.

“Go, go, before I change my mind.”

“Hondo…thank you.”

As Obi-wan climbed onto a speeder, tucking the carving into his tunic, and took off in Satine’s direction into the sunset, Hondo shook his head.

“If they don’t figure this out on their own, I’m locking them in her room when they get back.”

* * *

Obi-wan continued on his heading until a small camp came into view. He saw an armored figure perched on a small boulder, her back turned towards her visitor as she painstakingly sharpened the edge of her favorite vibrosword. Obi-wan dismounted his speeder and approached the seated Mandalorian. Satine continued to run her whetstone down the entire length of the blade, barely pausing before beginning another metered pass. Hesitating, he waited for recognition but when none came Obi-wan was finally forced to speak first.

“Hello, Satine.”

She tilted her head slightly at the intrusion, continuing to produce the reassuring sound of whetstone-meeting-blade as she responded calmly.

“What are you doing here, Obi-wan?”

“I thought you had wanted to talk.”

Satine made a few more strokes, pausing to idly turn her blade to inspect the edge and use her thumb to assess her work. Seeming dissatisfied, she returned to honing her blade, answering plainly.

“I’m alive. There’s nothing else to talk about.”

Obi-wan shook his head in exasperation. Giving her a wide berth, he started edging around Satine’s small campsite to face her.

“Yes, there is. Satine, why did you stay in hiding all this time? …You _let_ me believe that you were dead.”

The slow scraping continued, but Obi-wan had heard a faint skipping sound on her last stroke – he _had_ gotten under her skin. He used that momentum and pushed the point.

“And, after everything that happened on Felucia, you just left, without any explanation?”

Satine froze, mid-stroke, eyes fixed downward onto her blade, her frustration made manifest in the momentary tremor of her hand. Observing Satine’s immobile form, Obi-wan stroked his chin with a sigh and added,

“Satine, please, just talk to me.”

She made a sound akin to a harsh bark of laughter and Obi-wan took a step forward asking,

“Satine?”

Setting down her whetstone on the boulder next to her, Satine rose to thrust her vibroblade into the ground at her feet. It wobbled gently from side to side as Satine turned her gaze towards the waiting Jedi.

“You came here to lecture me on walking away? You were the one that left me, Obi-wan, all those years ago. Your Jedi order came calling and you went running without a thought.”

“Satine, that’s not fair. You yourself serve an order that controls your passions. The very order you had once sworn to destroy.”

“I had no choice! Everyone abandoned me: you, your master, the Jedi Council, even my own people. My sister was the only one who was there for me. She was the one who convinced Death Watch to accept me and become my new family.”

Satine had emphasized each statement with a shuffled step closer to Obi-wan, who was looking more hurt with every passing second. She lifted her helmet off her head and let it fall to the ground with a resounding thud. She kept limping towards him until they were mere breaths apart, wanting to look him in the eyes for what she had to say next. But what came out of her mouth was barely above a whisper.

“I would have done anything and everything for you. But you left without a word, or warning—or even a goodbye.”

She watched Obi-wan’s eyes become hauntingly dark. Silence stretched on for a few painful moments until he conceded and whispered back,

“If I had laid eyes on you one more time, I would have never left.”

Satine took a shaky breath at his admission and wobbled slightly as she put too much weight on her bad leg. Obi-wan reached out to steady her but ended up pulling her close against his chest. Satine shifted within his warm embrace, gazing up at his pained expression.

As the depths of his blue eyes drew her in, longing overwhelmed Satine. She could not resist leaning in closer, pushing forward through the scant few inches that remained between them, and pressing her lips to his. Obi-wan stiffened in surprise with the contact, years of his Jedi training freezing him in place, but slowly the ice thawed and he started to respond, moving his lips against hers in kind. The atmosphere of their embrace shifted, increasing in intensity, as they each became more confident and their years apart began to melt away. A warmth began to rise within Satine, old and familiar. She knew Obi-wan felt it too. Despite being held so closely against his body, his Jedi robes did absolutely nothing to hide his arousal, but she would let herself appreciate that irony later. Satine used his support as leverage to rock her hips hungrily into his, but this added motion seemed to break the spell between them rather than spur it onward. Obi-wan jerked backwards, shaking his head as though to clear it, and stammered out,

“I…I can’t Satine. You know I can’t.”

“Then why did you come to me?”

“I don’t know…” 

Satine cut him off by forcing him into another kiss, her hand buried in his soft ginger hair. Obi-wan mumbled a softer denial, so Satine silenced him with another kiss, and then another. His lips drifted down to her jaw, following the edge of her neck seal, his beard brushing against the soft skin of her neck. She fiddled with her gear one-handed and her utility belt slipped down her hips, crashing to the ground. It was quickly followed by her girth belt and with some fiddling, her kama was also added to the growing pile of gear.

Still clinging resolutely to his principles, Obi-wan hesitated again, desperately fighting to remind himself of all the reasons that this was a terrible idea—but then he again caught Satine’s eyes, and the blazing white-hot look they exchanged only served to feed the desire growing between them, taking root and blossoming until it threatened to overwhelm them both. He reached out with his hand and used the force to float Satine’s bedroll from her pack and unroll it onto the ground nearby, eyes softening beneath his brows. Gently, he lowered Satine onto its surface and silently began to help her strip off her jetpack and the remainder of the armor that kept him from reaching that which he most sought.

The soft glow of the moonlight reflected off their faces as dusk finally descended over the mesa, a purple twilight settling across the sky. He refused to let Satine help with the armor, removing each piece swiftly but carefully by himself and setting them in a small tidy pile off to the side. She placed her hand on Obi-wan’s arm when enough of her armor was removed, so he focused on her clothing—ignoring the tedious maze of armor and tightly-bound garments that encased her arms and torso.

She stifled a groan of anticipation as he slowly peeled her pants down her legs, taking great care to avoid the thick bandage covering the outside of her thigh. A soft whimper managed to escape her lips as his hands lingered gently on her bare skin, her body aching for his touch. Satine watched Obi-wan as he caressed the myriad of scars that she had acquired in the years since they had last parted, his fingers leaving burning trails in their wake. He paused, frowning as he traced the scar that he had given her. Satine’s heart fluttered as she realized Obi-wan had not changed nearly as much as he would have it seem—he was still the same caring soul with whom she had fallen in love. He was older, wiser, and more dignified, but he was still her Obi-wan.

As if he could sense her realization, Obi-wan jolted from his reverie and leaned back to toss his belt onto their pile of effects. He knelt back on the bed roll and held himself over Satine, gazing at her curiously. She arched her eyebrow questioningly and the responding smirk that spread across his face sent a cascade of sparks erupting from the pit of her stomach.

“I missed you,” he sighed, breaking the carnal silence they had been building.

Satine hummed in agreement and grabbed a fist-full of Obi-wan’s robes to pull him towards her. His lips settled into the curve of her neck where he had left off, lingering as he breathed in her scent, then trailed upwards to tease her mouth once more. The warmth of his body comforted Satine as she let her hands part his robes and explore. Satine began to methodically remove them, eventually exposing his well-toned torso. Biting her lip, she took her turn to navigate the small collection of battle scars that now dotted his chest and arms. She ran her hand through the patch of hair covering his chest, frowning at the fading mottled bruise left behind on his ribs from their scuffle with General Grievous. Obi-wan took the opportunity to gently kiss her furrowed brow until a smile found its way back to her lips.

Obi-wan paused, another endearing blush creeping into his cheeks as he asked,

“Satine, do you have any kind of…protection?”

She nodded idly, grazing her lips across his collar bone. Obi-wan gasped softly in surprise as Satine gently sucked his skin between her lips, giving him the tiniest little nip with her teeth. Gently, and rather purposely, he lifted her head with a hooked finger under her chin, Obi-wan meeting her gaze with skepticism. She smiled again and said,

“I have an implant. It lasts for several cycles.” She leaned in, cupping Obi-wan’s cheek as she gave him a slow sumptuous kiss, adding breathlessly, “so we have nothing to worry about.”

Obi-wan leaned his head into Satine’s hand, feeding off the confidence in her gaze. The tiny nagging voice in the back of his mind was still telling him this was improper, despite every other signal and desire directing his body in quite the opposite direction, and despite what _he_ wanted. His lips were still tingling from their last brush with Satine’s and were begging to be silenced. So, Obi-wan forced his way through his mental shackles and found himself finally claiming Satine’s mouth on his own accord.

His knee slid up between her legs, parting them carefully. The movement made Satine well aware of Obi-wan’s interest, which he had given up all pretense of hiding, as his hardened length pressed intently against her inner thigh. For all that it was—still trapped within the loose fabric of his pants, she could feel the hot pulse of his desire as his hips jerked slightly against her thigh, the movement driven by an instinct the Jedi Master had long kept suppressed.

Knowing he would be waiting for her lead, Satine freed him from his pants herself, brazenly admiring her influence upon the usually-stoic Jedi Master. He broke off his last kiss with a low shuddering groan as Satine reached under him, teasing him with her hand, savoring with no small amount of delight the pleading look he gave her. Another involuntary groan slipped out of him to accompany the look, but even she was now at a point where the aching between her legs was nearing a special new level of torment. She had waited too long to play this game with him tonight—that would come later if she had anything to say about it.

Running her hands down to his hips, Satine pulled Obi-wan towards her, smiling to herself as he obliged and followed her implied command, easing himself inside of her. Satine moaned in satisfaction as he filled her completely, his body resting flush against hers. For a moment they both paused, eyes locked, and _felt_ , awash in sensation and overcome by a moment they each thought would never experience again. Obi-wan was the first to break the spell, testing the waters with a slow shift of his hips, but then it was though a spark were struck, and then Satine shifted, and then together they gained momentum, eventually settling into a familiar rhythm.

Their breathing grew progressively ragged and strained between frantic kisses as they each neared their peak. Feeling herself on the cusp of her downward slide into bliss, Satine’s eyes fluttered closed for a moment before reaching up to grasp at Obi-wan’s strong shoulders.

Groaning, “Oh, Obi…” she tilted her head back, crying out as she reached her peak, suspended in a shattering moment of singular ecstasy before crashing back to the ground.

Her cries were reduced to whimpers and gasps as her orgasm exploded from deep within her core, the sensation tantalizing her body from the inside out. She clutched to Obi-wan as she lost control over her own motions, riding out her pleasure out as long as she could manage.

They locked eyes again, Obi-wan smiling breathlessly at the blissful haze settling over Satine’s face. As her high began to diminish, Obi-wan began to groan, his motions growing erratic as he followed her over the edge, clutching her hips tightly as he stuttered against her in a series of jerky motions.

Satine watched, content, as his brow furrowed and his hips staggered to a long pause. His body tensed, lips parting as he let his pleasure be known as he came inside her, filling her with a long-forgotten warmth. Obi-wan lingered over Satine and gently brushed her forehead with his lips, feeling the thin sheen of sweat that had gathered there. He lowered himself to the ground next to Satine, letting a long tired silence settle between them as they simply lay side-by-side in their sated fatigue. Staring at the stars peeking through the dusty clouds, neither was entirely sure what to say next.

Feeling his eyes on her, Satine turned her head to meet the Jedi’s stoic gaze. There was something on his mind. As she sat up, Obi-wan followed suit, sliding towards her to provide his shoulder as support. Satine happily leaned against him, turning in slightly to tuck herself against his side. She lingered in his soothing embrace for a moment, finally looking up again to meet Obi-wan’s rapidly devolving expression of worry.

“Come on,” she smiled, “someone will begin to wonder where you are.”

Relief mellowed Obi-wan’s sour expression a little as he rose from the ground with her and helped her to dress and pack up the camp. Together, they returned to Hondo’s stronghold. Avoiding the scattered and intoxicated pirates was simple enough, the dark furthermore aided in concealing their arrival.

The hesitant couple lingered behind one of the buildings, mostly concealed in shadow. Satine had started to turn away from Obi-wan to leave him, but he reached out to intercept her hand, tethering her to the spot. As she turned her head to watch him over her shoulder, he could feel the sadness being contained beneath her helmet.

He whispered,

“Wait for me.”

“I will.”

Satine nodded minutely to punctuate her reply and slowly walked away, her hand slipping from Obi-wan’s grasp. She walked back to her room, not having it in her heart to watch him fly away when she was so unsure if he would ever return. As her mind wandered through the unexpected events of the evening, she sat at her small table and fidgeted with her gear, deciding to take it off later for a quick shower and to sleep in her bed for a change.

A quick knocking at her door jolted her from her musings and she limped grumpily over to the door. Hondo knew better than to bother her at this time of night. To her surprise, Obi-wan’s silhouette was the one gracing her doorway. She quickly reached out and pulled him inside the door before sticking her own helmeted head out to survey the surrounding halls. A cold jolt hit her as her eyes connected with the vague outline of a particular chitinous cap with the faintest glint of familiar goggles poking out from a connecting passage, but as quickly as her mind registered the sight, it was gone. Dismissing the false alarm, Satine turned her attention back to her Jedi visitor with a smile as the door closed behind her with a reassuring hiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was my first attempt at smut, so be gentle. I unashamedly have more ideas planned to tempt poor Obi-wan in future chapters. 
> 
> The armor presented with some logistical issues, but I used my own personal experience donning and doffing my own Mandalorian cosplay to make this at least somewhat realistic. 
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are very welcome and very much appreciated :) Thank you for reading!


	9. A Proper Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finally having their long-awaited reunion, Obi-wan and Satine find themselves answering for their absences as they are forced to face their responsibilities once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writer’s block apparently hits the hardest when you least expect it. This chapter had a few rewrites before I settled on what I felt was more in-character for everyone. And this time, I brought some fluff :)  
> I had some influence (and even quotes) from Hadestown in the last chapter, and listening to it again helped set the tone for this chapter. But the Gladiator soundtrack really helped me through some of the more angsty bits, and I highly recommend a listen!

Shifting sleepily under her sheets, Satine nuzzled towards the warmth radiating over from her groggy Jedi companion. Gently, she rested her cheek against Obi-wan’s bare chest and smiled as he draped his arms around her, playing back memories of their night together. They had spent the remainder of their time simply curled in each other’s embrace, sharing the stories of their lives apart until sleep had claimed them both. Neither Mandalorian nor Jedi was accustomed to the idea of sleeping _late_ , in any sense of the word, but each was content to linger together, enthralled with the other and utterly content, for just a little while longer.

Eventually, it was the Jedi who conceded defeat first, gently squeezing Satine—savoring the softness of her skin under his fingertips—and pressing his lips to the top of her head as he sighed and silently bid farewell to their fragile reprieve. Satine could feel the warmth of his body begin to fade as she slid back against the mattress alone, the sheets around her cooling rapidly without the incendiary force of Obi-wan’s body beside her. She idly watched as Obi-wan hastily pulled his pants on over his drawers, smirking as he spared a moment to glance back and regale himself with the sight of Satine splayed sensually before him; she was well aware of how the thin sheets draped over and emphasized each and every curve of her body. Obi-wan’s hesitant gaze eventually drifted upwards to meet her eyes, and he sighed.

“I’m sorry, Satine, but I have to go.”

“I know…”

He started over towards his tunic—which was fastidiously folded and waiting for him on the table—and continued as if he hadn’t heard her, his voice adopting an anxious edge.

“I’ve already been gone for far too long. They may even be looking for me.”

Satine raised her voice marginally to slip past his distracted thoughts.

“Obi, I know.” Obi-wan paused, looking back to find Satine beckoning him with her hand.

“Come here,” she smiled, “one more thing before you go.”

“Satine…” Obi-wan protested softly, nevertheless turning obediently away from his untouched tunic to follow Satine’s gentle command. By the time he had reached her, Satine had managed to sit upright and swing both of her legs over the side of the bed with a small grimace. The sheets slipped from her torso, pooling languidly around her waist and revealing a sight that tested Obi-wan’s resolve yet again. Dutifully attempting to maintain eye contact, Obi-wan allowed Satine to pull him down to sink into the edge of the mattress by her side.

She looked at him with a sad smile and said,

“I just want to say goodbye properly this time.”

Reaching up, Satine placed a hand on each side of Obi-wan’s face and pressed her lips to the small mole above his furrowed brow, watching as the deep lines smoothed with her touch. Lowering herself to the small freckle on his cheek, Satine caressed the spot with her lips, watching as Obi-wan closed his eyes with a sigh—no doubt in an attempt to preserve her modesty and to avoid his own temptation.

Satine quickly rectified the situation as she draped her arms around Obi-wan’s shoulders and pressed her body lazily against his. She watched with pleasure as his eyes flew open at the unexpected contact and met Satine’s gaze with consternation. Their eyes locked, lingering as if set within a silent stalemate. Leaning forward, Satine tenderly claimed Obi-wan’s mouth with her own. He moved his lips cautiously against hers for a moment before gently pulling back to study Satine’s face.

Obi-wan read the melancholy settling over her and reached over to grasp her hand.

“I’m not going to abandon you, Satine…but, I don’t think we can go on quite like _this_.”

Satine studied his determined expression, subconsciously shifting her own features to match his frown.

“I thought Jedi were allowed to have physical relations.”

She felt the grip on her hand tighten slightly as Obi-wan took a slow breath to respond.

“We are, but not if we form attachments as a result.”

“And you can’t be with me without…?”

Satine hesitated, unable to vocalize the rest of her thought. But Obi-wan confirmed her suspicion with one agonizing word.

“No.”

Watching the pain flicker within Obi-wan’s eyes, Satine found a similar feeling of dread settle within the pit of her stomach—after all of this, she was _still_ losing him.

Fighting to bite back the pain in her voice, Satine admitted,

“The last thing I would want to do is force you to compromise your beliefs.”

Satine sighed, turning as if to stand, but Obi-wan gripped her hand more firmly to anchor her to the bed.

“Satine, I didn’t mean...”

“No,” she interrupted him with a sad smile, placing her free hand lightly on his chest to emphasize her sincerity. “I truly mean that. This is who you are, Obi-wan. I was forced to abandon everything I believed in, and a part of me still regrets it to this day.” 

Silence settled over them as Obi-wan lowered his gaze to the bed, unable to meet Satine’s eyes. Slipping her hand out of his tight grasp, Satine lifted her hands to cradle his face. She slowly turned his head to face her and gently pressed her forehead to his. Obi-wan wistfully slid his hands up to settle on her waist as they both closed their eyes, each savoring the other’s touch and unwilling to allow this final moment together to slip away.

Finally, as if the final grain of sand had graced the bottom of their shared hourglass, the spell was broken. Eyes weighted with heavy regret, Satine sighed, taking a slow breath and whispering,

“Go. I will be here when you need me. Go win your war, General.”

Releasing her hold on the Jedi, Satine let her eyes flutter open to find his mesmerizing blue eyes boring into hers, the deep blue pools now sparked with a reinvigorated sense of determination. 

“I will come back for you.”

Satine smiled, answering him plainly.

“See that you do.”

Obi-wan finally rose from the bed and walked back to his tunic. As his back turned to Satine, she let her forced smile side from her face and rushed over to the safety of her armor. She started to dress as quickly as she could manage with her weight balanced mostly on one leg. Fastening his belt, Obi-wan pulled out his communicator and frowned at the urgently flashing lights. His frown deepened as he turned to find Satine already partially covered with her armor, grunting with the effort of cinching her leg back into her brace.

Satine kept dressing as Obi-wan flicked through the messages left for him, rubbing his chin in exasperation.

“At least they’re mostly from Anakin and Cody. I guess I’d better call Anakin first.”

Satine silently slid on her gloves and walked over to retrieve her helmet, longing for the artificial feeling of solitude and serenity it would bring her. She slid her helm onto her head with a sigh as the familiar snugness encased her brow and auditory feedback whispered reassuringly into her ears, effectively calming her mind. Turning back to Obi-wan, Satine heard his comm begin to buzz as he hailed his former apprentice.

Anakin answered almost immediately, his disembodied voice echoed frantically around her small room.

“Obi-wan! Are you ok? I’m on my way to Florrum, just hold tight.”

“Anakin…” Obi-wan tried to interrupt his enthusiastic comrade, but Anakin just plowed right through him.

“What did Hondo do to you this time? Cody said you went to see him, but your comm signal went dead after you landed.”

“Anakin, wait...”

“We were worried he kidnapped you again, but we didn’t get a ransom.”

“Anakin! I’m fine, he didn’t, and I’m on my way back. Please, just turn around, this was all one big misunderstanding.”

“I’m already here, Obi-wan. I’m about to enter the atmosphere. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

Obi-wan ended the transmission, shaking his head as he turned. He froze in surprise as his gaze settled back on Satine, unable to keep a fleeting look of shock—and regret—from darkening his eyes. While his back had been turned, she had finished her transformation and was now covered in the entirety of her Mandalorian armor—and with it, her carefree mannerisms had gone, replaced instead by the stoic demeanor and indifferent stance she had worn when they had first encountered each other since their parting so many cycles ago. He waved his hand awkwardly towards the door and shrugged.

“I guess I should leave alone?”

“Probably should.”

Obi-wan frowned at how her beskar shell had seemingly turned her into a different person, and in return, Satine watched sadly through her visor as the Jedi— _her_ Jedi—walked out of her doorway for what could very well be the last time.

Luckily for Obi-wan, the pirates needed extra time each morning to sleep off their drink from the night before. He slipped through the halls unnoticed until he reached the foyer, where a loud voice rang out, making the Jedi flinch.

“Good morning, Obi-wan!”

His posture relaxing, Obi-wan turned wearily to face the smug Weequay Captain.

“Hello, Hondo.”

“I’m glad to see you worked things out with our Mandalorian friend.” Hondo smirked wickedly. “I didn’t realize Jedi were allowed to do this sort of thing.”

“We’re not. . . Hondo, I really need you to keep this between us. No one can know.”

“Not even Skywalker?”

“Absolutely not. Actually, if anyone asks, you summoned me here.”

Hondo strutted over to Obi-wan—who was still struggling to subdue the rather stunning shade of red that was inexorably creeping up his neck—and adjusted his goggles with laugh.

“Well, of course I did! But you do have to answer one question for me.”

“And what would that question be?”

“Tell me,” he sniffed, “does she leave the helmet on the entire time?”

His blush now at full force, Obi-wan crossed his arms before answering awkwardly.

“Oh Hondo, I’m going to have to leave that to your imagination.”

With a surprising amount of gusto, Hondo chortled loudly at Obi-wan’s evasive response.

“And I appreciate that.”

Hondo winked at Obi-wan and as the Jedi opened his mouth in frustration, Hondo swiftly interrupted him.

“ _Everyone_ has their secrets, dear Obi-wan. And wouldn’t you know, suddenly, I have no idea what we were even talking about.”

Hondo waved his arm dismissively and walked away from Obi-wan, leaving him in a stunned silence. He paused by the doorway and turned his head to talk over his shoulder.

“You’d better come with me, or Skywalker might think I kidnapped you again. Ha!”

Jolting himself back into motion, Obi-wan followed Hondo outside to find Anakin already rushing towards them. Obi-wan learned not to underestimate the pirate’s ability to lie as he spun a rather flawless tale exonerating Obi-wan from his true purpose on Florrum. Shrugging, Anakin seemed content with the explanation, but Obi-wan noticed how Anakin kept glancing back towards the compound, even when bidding their farewells. When the Jedi approached their ships without the company of the Weequay, Anakin nonchalantly asked,

“How is Satine, Master?”

Obi-wan swallowed softly and shrugged,

“Improving, I believe. Hondo said she was out training on the mesas.”

“Uh huh. So you didn’t come all this way to check on her?”

Clambering up the side of his ship, Obi-wan slid into the cockpit, just wanting this conversation to end. He sighed.

“It would have been foolhardy if I had. Let’s go, Anakin.”

* * *

Sitting within the privacy of The Sparrow’s Wing, Satine fiddled with her flamethrower, waiting for a holo-call from her sister. Bo had sent word requesting a face-to-face talk with her, so Satine sequestered herself on her ship until the call came through. Just as she started scraping some of the crust from the nozzles, her encrypted communicator started to buzz loudly on the table next to her. Satine answered the call on her large holo table, sitting back as the large blue holographic image of her sister fluttered to life before her. Satine greeted Bo with no small amount of relief.

“ _Su cuy’gar, vod._ I am glad to hear your voice again.”

Bo’s hologram nodded in greeting as she spoke.

“And it is good to hear your voice as well, sister. But there are things we need to discuss.”

Satine paused, thoughtfully, and asked,

“Is everything alright? How have our plans progressed in my absence?”

“We are well on schedule…but I have heard the most peculiar rumor.”

“A rumor?”

“Yes, apparently an unmarked Mandalorian woman has been helping the Republic. She was spotted on Felucia not even a few weeks back. You wouldn’t happen to know who this mysterious woman is, would you?”

Satine crossed her arms reflexively at Bo’s tone—she was accusing her, not asking.

“Well it certainly sounds like you already know your answer.”

“Satine, what were you thinking? The Republic? You put everything in jeopardy, and for what, a small victory in a war that can’t be won?”

“They needed my help, Bo. I was careful. If I didn’t think I could handle it, I wouldn’t have helped at all.”

Bo’s little holographic head tilted judgmentally and Satine braced for the question she had been dreading:

“Was this because of _The_ Jedi?”

A sigh escaped from Satine as she realized deception was pointless here and was ultimately beneath her; she respected her sister too much to even attempt lying to her.

“Yes.”

A few moments silently ticked by as Bo absorbed this curt answer from Satine.

“Did he find out the truth?”

“My hand was forced. He knows, but he will keep my secret.”

“Luckily, I believe that he will, but don’t forget what happened last time…just don’t sleep with him.”

Shifting uncomfortably, Satine wracked her mind for a way to soften her response, but Bo beat her to the admission.

“Oh, Satine. Please tell me you didn’t.”

All she could do was shrug at her sister’s judgment.

“It just kind of happened. Rest assured, it will not happen again.”

“I want to say I believe you, Satine, but you two have never been able to resist each other.”

Satine shook her head sadly.

“No. We’re older now, things have changed, our priorities have changed.”

“Fine, but either way, just…be _careful_.” Bo’s voice grew serious as she changed the subject. “It is almost time for us to move on Mandalore. Will you be ready?”

“Of course, _vod_. I will await your call.”

Nodding their farewells, Satine cut the hologram of her sister off and leaned back in her seat, idly noting that their conversation could have gone way worse.

Against her will, her thoughts shifted back to Obi-wan, mind settling into his warm embrace even as she sat encased in her unyielding armor, his arms a steady, solid presence about her as she let her mind drift with him. Her sister was right, of course, she could never resist him, her body was making that frustratingly clear. But he had made it clear that nothing could happen between them.

Suddenly, she shook her head as if the motion would clear out her traitorous thoughts and slammed a gauntleted fist on the table in frustration. Now was not the time to pine after some man—especially _that_ man. At a time so dire for her people, such thoughts were enough to get one killed, and everything rested on her making it back to Mandalore alive when the time came.

There were things yet to be done, and then—

—well, then she would just have to see.

* * *

Many weeks had trickled by since Obi-wan had left, eventually accumulating into several painfully slow months. Satine had continued to work with Hondo but was patiently waiting for the signal from her sister. Most nights she had all the time that she had needed to herself, as she did not partake in the drinking and other nightly pirate pastimes. On occasion, she could be convinced to join in on a brawl or wrestling match, but tonight Satine had needed some time alone. She was spending her time doing the same thing that always filled her spare time and calmed her mind—cleaning and maintaining her arsenal

Satine turned to pick up her next rifle and froze as a loud knocking rang out from the side hatch of her ship. It was sporadic, almost frantic in rhythm and Satine grabbed her rifle to settle the anxiety bubbling up within her. She shouted at the door as the knocking stopped.

“Who’s there?”

The soft response was almost inaudible through the thick hull.

“It’s me, Satine. Please let me in.”

Her breath caught in her chest as she recognized the voice. She raised the rifle and punched the controls to open the door. As the hatch slowly lowered, Satine’s stance faltered at the sight being revealed before her. Obi-wan was standing there, leaning to one side where he had a hand pressed against his stomach. He wobbled slightly as he stared at the firearm being leveled at him, but Satine quickly tossed her rifle onto a nearby crate and stumbled out of her ship to embrace the wounded Jedi.

Stopping just short of him, Satine remembered herself and simply offered an arm to lead Obi-wan up the small ramp. He stumbled aboard and let out a loud huff as he took a seat at the table. The door slammed shut behind them and Satine appraised the Jedi cautiously. A peculiar look had settled onto his face and Satine swallowed softly. Obi-wan spoke first, with a tired smile, the sound of his voice still sending a small thrill down Satine’s spine.

“Is this a bad time?”

\---

Su cuy’gar: Hello; literally: “You’re still alive.”

Vod (pl. –e): Brother/sister/comrade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! As always, your kudos and comments mean so much :)


	10. A Brief Respite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-wan needs some time and some help to heal before Satine is forced to reveal a devastating secret. But this secret is also the spark the Mandalorians need to make the first move on their homeworld.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter, but it’s an important stepping stone that also helped me to regain the flow of this fic. I’m also dipping into canon some here by referencing the second battle of Geonosis. I like to reference canon when I can in an AU fic…and in this case, I also tapped my personal favorite Clone Wars theory 😉 
> 
> Thank you for the 2000 hits and for all of your reviews and kudos! I was not expecting that. They are so motivating and mean so much in these crazy times. :)
> 
> Also, as a heads up, my finals week is coming, so it will be a few weeks until I’m able to post again. But I do have a strong outline ready, so it’s only a matter of finding time amongst my endless exams.

“Is this a bad time?” Obi-wan asked tiredly.

Satine blinked, staring blankly through her helm at the Jedi, her mind racing.

“No, not at all. I just wasn’t expecting to see you any time soon.”

“I said I’d be back.”

“I guess I’m just surprised to see you here without an entourage to ensure your safety.”

“Funny,” he rolled his eyes as he continued, “I was forced on medical leave after I had an incident on Geonosis.”

Hearing the bitterness in his voice, Satine probed carefully.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Obi-wan focused his gaze back onto the table, clenching his fists before continuing quietly. 

“It was my transport to the rendezvous point. We were gunned down and only Trapper and I survived…but only just, and I couldn’t do _anything_ to stop it.”

Hesitating at the uncharacteristic pain lacing through his voice, Satine lifted her helmet off her head and set it onto the table with a loud clunk. She lifted her eyes to Obi-wan’s frustrated gaze and slipped off her gloves, covering his clenched fists with her hands.

“I am so sorry, Obi-wan.”

He winced softly and shifted towards his injured side. Satine sighed, moving to sit next to the Jedi at the table and sliding her hand from his fist up to his arm. She squeezed his bicep gently, feeling the muscles flex and then relax beneath her grip.

“Let me take a look.”

Obi-wan gave his head a stubborn shake, jerking free of her grasp.

“No, no, that’s not necessary.”

“Oh really? Then you’re not at all concerned by the blood seeping through your tunic right now?”

Reflexively, Obi-wan glanced down to verify Satine’s claim. He touched the spot of blood blossoming through the light fabric and sighed, finally nodding in consent. With steady hands, Satine guided him up out of his chair and through the small corridor leading to her quarters, sitting him on the edge of her bunk. She swiftly pried off his belt and helped him remove his tunic to reveal the compromised bandage.

Muttering, “Lie down, I’ll be right back,” Satine walked off to grab a med kit and give her eyes and treacherous mind a quick reprieve from the shirtless Jedi currently taking up residence in her bunk. Returning to her quarters, Satine quietly went to work setting up her supplies before turning to her prone patient.

Satine tsked softly as she removed the bloody bandage and began to cleanse his wound. Obi-wan let out a small gasp, jerking his hand up to grasp at Satine’s. She ignored him, batting his hand away and carefully placing it by his side. Obi-wan shrugged in apology, flushing as she reassured him that the numbing agent would be working soon. Working in silence, Satine carefully finished cleansing the wound. Finished with her care, she applied a new bandage, leaning over his bare skin and trying to avoid the mischievous thoughts dancing though her mind.

Obi-wan refused to leave her in peace, however, and his voice dragged her out of her reverie and back to reality with an abrupt wrench. “Satine.” His tone brooked no argument as he gently spoke her name, a peculiar look on his face and a strange light glinting in his eyes.

Satine paused, flicking her gaze towards his face. “Yes?” Instead of responding with words, Obi-wan shifted slightly, leaning forward and kissing her. Satine’s stomach twinged at the shock of the unexpected exchange. As the kiss progressed, however, shock gradually shifted into a roiling pit of concern, every ingrained instinct screaming at her to stop this before it progressed too far.

His lips moved almost too urgently against hers, but still so firmly and so surely that Satine found herself melting into him despite her reservations. It was the kind of kiss that could precipitate the end of the world—and who was she to deny herself that?

Leaning back to breathe, Obi-wan shifted uncomfortably around his bandage while Satine gathered her thoughts. She held the back of her hand against his forehead for a moment, feeling a strong heat radiating from him and wiping some of the perspiration from his brow.

“Obi, what has gotten into you?”

“I almost died, Satine. And all I could think about was how I wanted to see you again, how I wanted to _feel_ you again.”

He had placed his hand on her forearm as he spoke and Satine gently plucked his hand up and laid it back on the bed once more. She chuckled softly.

“I think that’s the fever talking, Obi-wan. Go get some sleep, I’ll check on you in a little bit.”

Satine gave him a stim for his fever and pulled a blanket up to his chest. Obi-wan’s eyelids began to droop over his glossy eyes as he drifted to sleep before his watchful nurse. Content, Satine quietly left her quarters, pausing to shoo a curious Esso from the doorway, and closed the small hatch behind her.

Propping her feet up on the main console in front of her, Satine set herself up to sleep in the cockpit. The pilot’s chair was the second most comfortable place on her ship after her bunk, so it would suffice for the night. She gazed out of the glass at the stars peeking through wispy clouds and shifted deeper into her chair with her arms crossed reassuringly against her chest. There certainly was never a dull moment with a Jedi around—particularly _this_ Jedi. But as sleep pressed down on Satine, one last thought whispered into her mind. It was, in reality, more of a feeling, but all the same she was comforted to know that Obi-wan was here with her—even if there were a few meters of durasteel separating them.

* * *

The meager light of dawn woke Satine with a shock. She jumped up and rushed down the corridors to her quarters. The door hissed open and Satine surveyed the sight before her with a suppressed grin. Obi-wan was sitting on the side of the bunk and grumbling at Esso, who was nudging his foot and twittering excitedly. He glanced up at Satine with a pleading look and she found herself laughing at him despite herself.

“Esso,” she chided lightly with a jerk of her head, “go on.”

Esso let out a small indignant hum and rocketed out of the room squeaking all the way. Obi-wan raised an eyebrow at Satine, as she was still laughing softly at him. Shifting her weight to one hip, Satine crossed her arms with a smirk.

“What? He was just saying hello.”

Her smile faltered as Obi-wan’s gaze flicked up and down her body quickly and he blushed a little as he realized what he had just done. Satine shifted into a more neutral stance and walked over to distract him.

“How are you feeling this morning?”

He stretched slightly and shrugged.

“A lot better, actually. Thank you.”

“Any time.” Satine smiled at his sincerity, adding, “But, you do need to take it easy for a couple of days. The wound is not deep, but I do think you bruised your ribs.”

Grabbing his tunic, Satine moved back to Obi-wan and sat next to him, lifting his arm to check his bandage. It was clean, so she left it alone and helped him don his robes once more. He tugged at the edges, making a few small adjustments, and cleared his throat pointedly. 

“About last night…”

“Ahh, you do remember.”

“I do.” Obi-wan paused, simply meeting Satine’s gaze for a moment. Feeling slightly uncomfortable from the peculiar expression, she spoke up to break the silence.

“What’s is it? Obi…I know that look.”

“Satine, I shouldn’t have done that. But…”

The tension between them snapped as Satine’s comm device rang loudly from her belt. She stood quickly and motioned for Obi-wan to stay put and keep quiet. He nodded quickly and Satine closed the door behind her. She activated her comm device, keeping the vibrating blue image of her sister on her handheld display. Bo wasted no time to get down to business.

“Satine, we have a problem. Korkie is being stonewalled at the Senate. He has managed to hold his own against his opposition, but they’re refuting his claim to represent Mandalore. I think it’s time to reveal the truth, disclosing his lineage might be the only way.”

“I understand.” She nodded thoughtfully, “I do think it is time.”

“Good. If you want to make some arrangements on your end, sooner would be better than later…if you take my meaning.”

She ended the call and glanced to the side to find Obi-wan watching her carefully. As she stared at his figure looming in the doorway, the reality of what she had to do next began to settle over her, worry beginning to burrow its way deep into her heart. She had carried and maintained this secret for so long, it was bound to shatter the fragile relationship that she had just re-established with Obi-wan. She was about to throw him into an impossible position.

But with a slow steadying breath, Satine offered Obi-wan a seat at her table and tensely sat down to join him.

“Obi-wan, there’s something important that I need to talk to you about.”

“Satine, who’s Korkie?”

The pointed question caught her off guard as he beat her to the punch. Satine let out a small anxious breath and looked up into his eyes.

“He’s _our_ son.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! Please feel free to review, speculate, recommend tags, or leave any comments as you will ;)


	11. Necessary Politics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Satine regroups after shocking Obi-wan with her devastating secret. But Bo-Katan's plans to reclaim their homeworld have been progressing and action must be taken to secure Korkie's spot in the Senate. Now Satine faces the painful task of revealing yet another long-guarded secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a transitional chapter. Lots of jumps, but I’m using this to set up the upcoming story arc.
> 
> A huge thank you to everyone for being so patient with this chapter. My month off from school was ultimately a time of mental relaxation, as in everything shut down—including my ability to write. But now that my last year of school is kicking off, I am in a much better frame of mind to write.
> 
> ...in fact, my brain is swimming with so many delightfuly naughty and fun ideas ;) 
> 
> So, without further ado, here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it! And as always, thank you for all of your kudos and comments, I appreciate each and every one :)

The Sparrow’s Wing fell out of hyperspace with a slight shudder, the large shining sphere that was Coruscant sliding into Satine’s view. She punched the throttle and reached to her console with a practiced motion, working the myriad of switches with barely any thought as she rolled the ship and placed herself into a reentry trajectory. As the autopilot engaged and began the initial descent, Satine stared absently at the looming metal planet and let her thoughts flash back to Obi-wan and the painful revelation she had forced upon him.

* * *

His initial reaction had been a long and terrifying silence, his face falling slack and tense in trepidation, as though he were waiting for the other shoe to drop and for her to admit this was simply a poor attempt at a jest. She had slid her hands across the small table towards his, but the Jedi jerked away, leaning back as he shook his head gently in denial. Obi-wan flicked his eyes up to catch Satine’s gaze as he finally spoke, his voice unsettled and imbued with no small amount of dismay.

“I…have a son?”

* * *

Drawn back to reality, Satine struggled to remove the haunting image of Obi-wan’s face, drawn and terse and tendering a look of the utmost betrayal. The shock and wounded, simmering anger packed into his voice had been a punch to the gut, leaving her reeling under the force of his pained stare. She shook her head to clear it as she neared her assigned landing platform and took back over the controls for her final descent, blinking away the memories of those shuttered, stormy blue eyes. She touched the ship down with ease and sat back in her seat, numbly watching her distant welcoming party approach. Her eyes connected with the leader of the group—Korkie, the son in question, and found herself drawn back into the past once more.

* * *

“How could you have kept this from me?”

It seemed like explaining herself would be a fruitless endeavor when considering the severity of her deception, but Satine had found herself trying anyway.

“You were long gone by the time I had known. I didn’t know what to do…The entire galaxy thought I was dead and suddenly staying hidden became all that more important. I could only imagine what would have happened if my enemies had found out I was not only alive, but also expecting a child…Obi, I am _so_ sorry.” But her words felt hollow, even as they left her lips.

Obi-wan wearily rubbed his forehead, sliding his hand down to rest on his chin, absentmindedly stroking his beard as his eyes bored even deeper into Satine’s. She watched him mentally sterilize his emotions, watched the fury and betrayal bleed from his tense posture, his back straightening and muscles loosening as he took a painfully slow breath. She met his gaze bravely, unflinching, even as he stood to walk away.

“Ok,” he finally sighed, “I just need some time to think.”

* * *

Despite reliving more of the bitter exchange, Satine felt her spirits lift at the prospect of reuniting with her son. She rushed through her ship and down the ramp. Korkie had separated from his entourage, leaving them back far enough to give them some privacy. Pulling off her helm, Satine and Korkie grasped one another by the forearm, Satine pulled him into an awkward embrace while balancing her helmet by her side. Pulling back, Satine beamed up at her son—realizing that when she saw him last, he was the one looking up to her.

Nostalgia washed over her as she studied Korkie’s smiling face. He had finished growing into his once-lanky frame and his features had matured, growing leaner and more sculpted in her absence. Satine unquestionably saw his father in him—she only hoped no one else would. 

“Hello, Mother.”

“Oh, Korkie, look at you. The last time I saw you, you didn’t even reach the top of my jetpack.”

He shrugged, slightly uncomfortable at the maternal greeting, and fidgeted with the sleeve of his modest senatorial robes—but he caught himself in his old habit and instead crossed his arms in frustration.

“But not grown enough, apparently. The Trade Federation will not relent. They are insisting I am too young for this appointment.”

“You may be young, but you are strong and wise, Korkie, and I am very proud of you. Take heart, as your age is not the true concern here. Gunray and his goons are simply stalling for their own masters. Once we play our hand, they will have no choice but to back down.”

“I agree. But it will also be nice to finally acknowledge you as my mother in public.”

Satine smiled, reaching up to lightly touch Korkie’s chin. Lowering her hand, Satine glanced behind him at the waiting entourage and solemnly replaced her helm. Korkie reached out to place a hand on her arm. However, at her stern expression he paused, mouth open as if to speak, but his words failed him and he let them die at his lips. Satine settled her hand to rest atop her son’s and gave him a gentle squeeze. She knew what was troubling him.

“I know what I promised you, and we will speak of your father soon, but this is neither the time nor the place. I will be back in time for your appointment with the Chancellor. _Ret’urcye mhi, ad._ ”

Korkie nodded to his mother firmly before Satine indulged herself with a lengthy swan dive from the platform, dodging several bustling speeder lanes before activating her jetpack to turn towards the rendezvous point with her sister.

* * *

Bo-Katan was already lounging in a dark booth near the back of one of the seedier cantinas when Satine arrived. As she strolled through the assorted patrons, her armor drew as many greedy eyes as they repelled nervous ones. This meeting would most likely be on the shorter side—it would be unwise to linger here. Despite the air of unease drifting through the cantina, relief still washed over Satine as she sat across from her sister, and they both removed their helms with solemn greetings.

A server droid rolled over to their booth, wobbling on its single rusty wheel, and dropped off two drinks. Bo flipped a credit chit towards the droid and it plucked the small disk out of the air, warbling its thanks before wobbling back towards the bar. Satine leaned back in her dingy seat to adopt a more relaxed and inconspicuous posture as they began to lay out their plans.

“So,” Satine started calmly, “when are we moving on Mandalore?”

Bo allowed a small smile to play on her lips and she laid out the time-table for the small-scale incursion on their homeworld. They would be leaving within the week, though even that was contingent on the success of Korkie’s move into the Senate. This battle would be theirs to fight alone, but it would be foolhardy to make a move without at least some support of the Senate.

Satisfied with their plan, Satine and Bo strolled out of the cantina in guarded silence. They exchanged brief nods before replacing their helms. Satine glanced back, watching her sister fade into the dark alleyway. Then she turned, ready to face her next stop: The Senate.

* * *

As Satine approached the massive Senate buildings from the air, she located two isolated figures waiting by the end of the landing platforms and adjusted course to head in their direction. With an air of practiced ease, she angled herself in such a way that the motion of her feet touching the platform transitioned effortlessly into walking and she continued forward, striding up towards Anakin with a nod of greeting. She glanced down to eye the smaller orange figure by his side. Anakin bowed slightly in a return greeting and addressed Satine.

“I’m glad to see you again, Satine. You appear to be healing well, how is your leg?”

“Much improved,” Satine found herself glancing at the slender Togruta girl again, who was now bouncing next to Anakin as if she were to burst from her excitement.

“Oh, Satine, this is my apprentice, Ahsoka. She will be…observing.” He turned to gently chastise the girl as they all started to walk towards the entrance. “Remember, Ahsoka, her identity is a secret, so be careful not to say anything.”

Ahsoka took this as her invitation to speak, so she blurted out,

“She is so cool! Master, can I have a jetpack?”

“No, Snips,” Anakin rolled his eyes apologetically towards Satine, “you don’t even need one.”

“So? I bet they’re a lot of fun.” She flitted her eyes sideways at her Master before muttering under her breath, “…even Rex gets to use one sometimes.”

Anakin laughed nervously before returning the conversation back to Satine.

“Obi-wan asked me to accompany you today. He sends his regrets, but he is needed by the Jedi Council.”

Satine subtly turned her helm, affording Anakin a metered glance and nodded curtly as they continued to trudge towards the Senate building. She had expected this, as Obi-wan had not wanted to meet his secret son in such a setting—and Satine could not blame him for that decision.

“I understand, and I do appreciate you taking the time, Anakin.”

“Think nothing of it, I’m always happy to help a comrade in arms. Ah, here we are…”

Anakin diverted his attention to the Senate guards as they reached the end of the platform. The guards bustled up to the odd trio, gruffly addressing Satine.

“You will need to surrender your weapons to enter.”

“Of course.” Satine smiled to herself, she had packed light for this eventuality. She complied and continued through the checkpoint. Anakin caught up to her and said off-hand,

“I’m surprised you gave up your weapons so easily.”

Satine allowed herself a small chuckle that caught Anakin’s attention as she spoke.

“You know better than most, I don’t need a weapon to defend myself.”

Anakin gave her a knowing smirk.

“Well then, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

They continued on towards Chancellor Palpatine’s private office. At the door, the guards used their comms to alert those within of their arrival. The door opened and a petite brunette rushed out to greet Anakin. Satine watching with curiosity as they embraced and found herself wondering what people assumed when she was seen interacting with Obi-wan, as the pair in front of her now seemed to be far too familiar with one another.

Padme introduced herself and begged them to enter immediately, as things were starting to get out of hand. As they entered the room, Satine noted the Trade Federation representatives were clustered on one side of the room, while the corrupt Mandalorian group was on the other. Her son was standing tall between the two angry masses, his small entourage flanking his sides.

The angry noises they had heard upon their entry was coming from an ornately dressed Neimoidian, who was currently shouting at the assembled groups.

“This is madness! The Prime Minister of Mandalore is more than willing to do business with the Trade Federation and yet you are attempting to thwart our arrangement. Chancellor, this is nothing short of a coup!”

Nute Gunray’s mouth gaped as the Chancellor lifted a hand, silencing his frustrated ramblings.

“I hear your concerns, Viceroy, but now I would like to hear the argument from the representatives of Mandalore.”

Bowing his head with obvious displeasure, Gunray conceded.

“Of course, Chancellor.”

Korkie spoke up with the acknowledgment.

“Thank you, Chancellor Palpatine. The issue here is neutrality. Mandalore has always maintained a neutral stance in this war, yet Prime Minister Almec has embraced the Trade Federation. Any agreement with them will affect our claim of remaining neutral.”

A short outburst from another Trade Federation member interrupted Korkie as they claimed no affiliation with the Separatist regime. He waited patiently for the argument to subside before continuing on.

“Not but two cycles ago I myself discovered a black market conspiracy run by Prime Minister Almec. Many Sundari children were poisoned as a result. And yet, all of my evidence was destroyed, so here he remains as the Prime Minister of Mandalore.”

“Outrage!”

“Lies!”

Korkie continued over the now angry Mandalorian delegates.

“I believe there is a dark force at work deep within the Mandalorian government. If no one else in power will represent my people, then that responsibility falls upon me.”

Palpatine looked intrigued at Korkie’s mention of a secret player, this new train of thought occupying the majority of his attention and allowing the argument to dominate the room once more.

Satine seized this moment to speak, her stern voice ringing out clearly over the angry din.

“That is enough.”

When the assorted dignitaries noticed it was the fully-armored Mandalorian that had spoken, all of the arguments faded to a nervous silence. Satine turned her helm to look over towards Palpatine. She tilted her head questioningly and asked,

“Chancellor?”

He smiled, intrigued, in response and waved his hand openly.

“The floor is yours, Mandalorian.”

Steeling herself for what was to come, Satine lifted off her helm and glanced at the assembled group. She proudly noted how her son pulled himself up a little higher in preparation for her recognition and smiled smugly at the horrified faces of Almec’s lackeys—they clearly knew exactly who she was.

“Korkie Kryze is the epitome of what Mandalore needs. While I was forced to abandon my neutrality, along with many of my fellow Mandalorians, he has never once wavered from his beliefs.”

“But, who are you?” A brightly dressed Separatist dignitary interrupted her angrily, shifting from foot to foot in his agitation.

“I am Satine Kryze, the last Duchess of Mandalore, and Korkie Kryze is my son.”

Silence reigned for a long moment before the arguments picked back up. A few of the more foolish men attempted to approach her before they were intercepted by Korkie. Another voice shouted sarcastically towards her.

“But what of the father? Is he going to make a claim to serve Mandalore as well?”

Satine glared at the speaker until they yielded, glancing down nervously as he stuttered an apology. She addressed the question tersely before turning abruptly away.

“His father died many years ago.”

She moved back towards Anakin, finding him standing slack-jawed and staring at Satine with a look of clear suspicion. To Satine’s dismay, he glanced over to examine Korkie again and his face slackened another degree further. He motioned for his apprentice to stay put and led Satine to the rear of the room with a single heated glance.

Sighing as she followed, Satine was brought up short as Anakin rounded on her.

“Does he know?”

Feeling a small surge of annoyance, Satine gritted her teeth.

“Pardon?”

“Does the father know?” Anakin let his eyes flick around the room once more to ensure their privacy and continued.

“I think it’s safe to say we both know he is actually alive and well.”

“That is actually none of your business. You do not know what you are talking about.”

“Well, I think he has a right to know.”

Satine’s face betrayed a small frustrated twitch as she surveyed Anakin’s angry pout.

“Excuse me, Anakin, but you seemed to have mistaken your place here. Tell me, at what point was I supposed to have shown up on the steps of the Jedi temple with a babe at my breast? Surely _you_ understand the value of a secret when it is the life of your loved ones at stake? Even if it means they are forced to perpetuate a lie that haunts them for the rest of their life?”

Dismay crossed Anakin’s face as Satine pointedly glanced towards Padme before returning her gaze to him, a pained smile painted across her lips as she slipped around him to return to the fray.

“Excuse me.”

Making his decision, Chancellor Palpatine commanded the room once more.

“Well, it seems that we do have a unique situation at hand here. You say that you have secured the votes you need to represent Mandalore?”

“Yes, Chancellor. I have.”

“Well, then the only reasonable solution would be to appoint you as a co-representative for Mandalore, to provide a more _balanced_ representation for your people.”

The delegates paused, all realizing the futility and disrespect of arguing with the Chancellor, and allowed a stunned silence to cross the room. Korkie spoke up quietly, his pleasure at this resolution peeking through his neutral political mask.

“Thank you, Chancellor Palpatine.”

Korkie turned towards his mother, and she felt her spirits rise with the look of joy covering his face. Satine captured this joy, tucked it away in her mental library, and carried it with her as she turned and walked out of the room.

\--

ad: son

Ret’urcye mhi: Goodbye; literally: “Maybe we’ll meet again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! :)

**Author's Note:**

> A huge thank you to Etheostoma for being my sounding board and editor.


End file.
